Dr. Peter Attia Exits as CBS News Contributor Following Epstein Controversy as Paramount Skydance Makes New Pitch for Warner
Longevity guru Peter Attia is out as a contributor at CBS News well before he really even offer any analysis or hot takes.
Attia, who was recently named to a list of new contributors at CBS News under Bari Weiss, the Paramount Skydance unit’s editor in chief, will leave the role, according to a person familiar with the matter. The information was disclosed to bookers in an email, this person says.
CBS News declined to make executives available for comment.
Attia had come under fire Peter Attia is coming under fire after the latest raft of documents from the Jeffrey Epstein files includes more than 1,700 mentions and evidence of a friendly relationship with the wealthy convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019.
Attia had come under fire following the revelations of the latest raft of documents from the Jeffrey Epstein files includes more than 1,700 mentions and evidence of a friendly relationship with the wealthy convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019. The correspondence made clear that Attia maintained a relationship with Epstein long after the financier faced sex trafficking and prostitution charges. “I go into JE withdrawal when I don’t see him.,” reads a line from Attia to Lesley Groff, who was an Epstein assistant. The remark, found in a January 2016 email, spurred negative reaction on social media.
News of his exit surfaced as Paramount Skydance is expected to make a new offer for Warner Bros. Discovery, and is the latest in a series of talent tangles the company has faced in recent days. Last week, Anderson Cooper opted to leave his long-running role with “60 Minutes,” citing a desire to spend more time on his duties at CNN and with his young children. Stephen Colbert last week on “The Late Show” told viewers he had been pressed by Paramount attorneys not to show an interview he conducted with . Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico should not run on CBS, due to concerns it would run afoul of new guidance from the Trump administration that would hold talk shows to what is known as TV’s “equal time” rule, which requires broadcast networks and radio stations to give equal time to candidates in an election after one has made an appearance.
And while reports had previously surfaced that Attia was expected to leave, he didn’t. People familiar with CBS News believe Weiss resisted calls to cut the personality loose.
On Jan. 27, CBS News named Attia as one of 19 new contributors to the news network that is being revamped top-to-bottom by Weiss. In the CBS News announcement, Attia was billed as “the founder of Outlive, a new app that translates longevity science into personalized daily practice; and Early Medical, a medical practice that applies the principles of Medicine 3.0 to patients, aiming to simultaneously lengthen their lifespan and increase their healthspan. He is also the host of the popular podcast “The Peter Attia Drive” and author of the bestseller “Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity.”
Attia was at the center of a “60 Minutes” story in October of last year, in which correspondent Norah O’Donnell talked to him about his ideas for preserving quality of life in advanced age. Attia placed an emphasis on exercise, protein consumption and early diagnostics.
Some of the other contributors Weiss named are known for their research into health and wellness, but sometimes support ideas that are not embraced by the scientific mainstream. One of them is Mark Hyman, a physician who has been active in trying to reform food and agriculture policy, but who has also been a supporter of some of the controversial policies being put into place by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy. Among the ideas he champions is the so-called “pegan diet,” which restricts nutrient-dense foods like beans and whole grains. Andrew Huberman is a popular science podcaster whose promotion of dietary supplements has drawn some rebuke.
Attia, who was recently named to a list of new contributors at CBS News under Bari Weiss, the Paramount Skydance unit’s editor in chief, will leave the role, according to a person familiar with the matter. The information was disclosed to bookers in an email, this person says.
CBS News declined to make executives available for comment.
Attia had come under fire Peter Attia is coming under fire after the latest raft of documents from the Jeffrey Epstein files includes more than 1,700 mentions and evidence of a friendly relationship with the wealthy convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019.
Attia had come under fire following the revelations of the latest raft of documents from the Jeffrey Epstein files includes more than 1,700 mentions and evidence of a friendly relationship with the wealthy convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019. The correspondence made clear that Attia maintained a relationship with Epstein long after the financier faced sex trafficking and prostitution charges. “I go into JE withdrawal when I don’t see him.,” reads a line from Attia to Lesley Groff, who was an Epstein assistant. The remark, found in a January 2016 email, spurred negative reaction on social media.
News of his exit surfaced as Paramount Skydance is expected to make a new offer for Warner Bros. Discovery, and is the latest in a series of talent tangles the company has faced in recent days. Last week, Anderson Cooper opted to leave his long-running role with “60 Minutes,” citing a desire to spend more time on his duties at CNN and with his young children. Stephen Colbert last week on “The Late Show” told viewers he had been pressed by Paramount attorneys not to show an interview he conducted with . Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico should not run on CBS, due to concerns it would run afoul of new guidance from the Trump administration that would hold talk shows to what is known as TV’s “equal time” rule, which requires broadcast networks and radio stations to give equal time to candidates in an election after one has made an appearance.
And while reports had previously surfaced that Attia was expected to leave, he didn’t. People familiar with CBS News believe Weiss resisted calls to cut the personality loose.
On Jan. 27, CBS News named Attia as one of 19 new contributors to the news network that is being revamped top-to-bottom by Weiss. In the CBS News announcement, Attia was billed as “the founder of Outlive, a new app that translates longevity science into personalized daily practice; and Early Medical, a medical practice that applies the principles of Medicine 3.0 to patients, aiming to simultaneously lengthen their lifespan and increase their healthspan. He is also the host of the popular podcast “The Peter Attia Drive” and author of the bestseller “Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity.”
Attia was at the center of a “60 Minutes” story in October of last year, in which correspondent Norah O’Donnell talked to him about his ideas for preserving quality of life in advanced age. Attia placed an emphasis on exercise, protein consumption and early diagnostics.
Some of the other contributors Weiss named are known for their research into health and wellness, but sometimes support ideas that are not embraced by the scientific mainstream. One of them is Mark Hyman, a physician who has been active in trying to reform food and agriculture policy, but who has also been a supporter of some of the controversial policies being put into place by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy. Among the ideas he champions is the so-called “pegan diet,” which restricts nutrient-dense foods like beans and whole grains. Andrew Huberman is a popular science podcaster whose promotion of dietary supplements has drawn some rebuke.