Disturbing comment Epstein associate made as new photo shows Stephen Hawking with women in bikinis

The comment a billionaire sent to Jeffrey Epstein about Stephen Hawking has resurfaced as a picture of the academic alongside two other women in bikinis was released.

It was part of the latest batch of Epstein files to be released where Hawking was photographed alongside the two women with a cocktail in hand.

It's important to note that if an individual is named in the Epstein files, it doesn't necessarily suggest any wrongdoing or knowledge of his crimes.

Following the picture's release, the family of Hawking - who passed away in 2018 at the age of 76 - have spoken out and identified the two women.

They told The Mirror: "Professor Hawking made some of the greatest contributions to physics in the 20th century while at the same time being the longest-known survivor of motor neurone disease, a debilitating condition which left him reliant on a ventilator, voice synthesiser, wheelchair and round-the-clock medical care.

Stephen Hawking died in 2018 (Bruno Vincent/Getty Images)

"Any insinuation of inappropriate conduct on his part is wrong and far-fetched in the extreme."

They clarified that the two women in the photo are believed to have been his long-term carers.

Elsewhere in the Epstein files, a 2015 email addressed to billionaire businessman Andrew Farkas saw Epstein write: "I kid you not the local papers are suggesting that Steven Hawking had sex with underage girls on island."

Farkas, the founder of Island Capital Group, then appeared to reply: "If it were true you'd received the Nobel Prize for medical science."

In an email statement to The New York Times, Farkas said: "I deeply regret ever associating with Jeffrey Epstein."

He also claimed his correspondence with Epstein could 'be mischaracterized' if they were 'taken out of context or without understanding my broader communication style'. Farkas added: "At no time have I conducted myself inappropriately."

(Department of Justice)

A spokesperson for Farkas previously addressed his association with Epstein, telling The New York Times: "He regrets their association and condemns Epstein’s crimes."

They noted that the relationship was 'entirely a business one'.

UNILAD has reached out to Farkas via his Island Capital company for comment.

Hawking was mentioned in the Epstein files 250 times and had traveled to the US Virgin Islands with a team of scientists in March 2006 to attend the Energy of Empty Space That Isn’t Zero conference, which was funded by Epstein.

Millions of files have been released in relation to Jeffrey Epstein (Neil Rasmus/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

The academic's name appeared in one email dating back to 2015, which was sent to Epstein by his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

The email suggested a financial incentive would be available to anyone who could disapprove an allegation against Hawking.

"You can issue a reward to any of virginias friends acquaionts [sic] family that come forward and help prove her allegations are false," the email stated. "The strongest is the clinton dinner, and the new version in the virgin isalnds that stven hawking partica-ted in an underage orgy."

If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org.