Boulder’s Kimbal Musk appears frequently in the Epstein files, which include emails and other records showing social contact between Musk and Jeffrey Epstein, as well as references to Musk’s romantic relationship with a woman in Epstein’s social circle, according to a Boulder Reporting Lab review of the records.
Musk is a Boulder-based businessman, co-owner of The Kitchen Restaurant Group, including the Kitchen Bistro on Pearl Street, co-founder of urban garden and farming nonprofits Big Green and Square Roots, and has held board or ownership roles in companies founded by his brother, Elon Musk, including SpaceX and Tesla. In 2025, Forbes estimated Kimbal Musk’s net worth at around $900 million, largely due to his shares in those companies.
More than 300 documents in the Epstein files reference Kimbal Musk, according to Boulder Reporting Lab’s review.
Taken together, the documents show contact between Musk and Epstein, a convicted sex offender, spanning several years beginning in the early 2010s. The records show that Musk’s interactions with Epstein occurred during the same period Musk was romantically involved with a woman connected to Epstein’s social circle. The woman, who is referenced repeatedly in the files, is not named in this article to avoid identifying potential victims of sexual abuse or exploitation and is referred to as “the woman” throughout. Some documents suggest Epstein continued to exert influence over her travel and scheduling during periods of her relationship with Musk.
Musk has said the volume of emails reflects mass emails sent through a newsletter rather than personal correspondence.
“The reason [Epstein] has so many emails from me is because he was subscribed to a newsletter I sent out to thousands of people every few weeks,” Musk wrote in a Feb. 9 post on X.
Epstein received dozens of emails that appear to have been sent via a listserv for The Kitchen Community. Other emails referencing The Kitchen show Karla Shaw, now Musk’s executive assistant and formerly an executive assistant for The Kitchen Community, arranging meetings between Musk and Epstein. Additional messages appear to be direct correspondence between the two.
Musk’s contact with Epstein
Documents in the Epstein files describe continued social contact between Kimbal Musk and Epstein. Emails show Musk invited Epstein to numerous events, including birthday parties and events for his nonprofit, such as a fundraiser hosted by The Kitchen Community to support Learning Gardens in Fort Collins schools.
Emails also show Musk, Epstein and Boris Nikolic — a former science adviser for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and an associate of Epstein who appears repeatedly in the files — met socially, including lunch at Epstein’s Manhattan penthouse, and exchanged casual messages, including jokes about a group Halloween costume.
Emails reveal at least four instances in which Musk was invited to or mentioned in connection with Epstein’s private island, Little St. James, in the Virgin Islands, where multiple women have described being sexually abused in lawsuits against Epstein. At times in the files, Epstein and his associates appear to refer to the island as St. Barts or St. Barths, a nearby island.
“You are invited to the island for a couple of days, come relax,” Epstein emailed Musk in January 2013.
“That would be nice,” Musk replied. “I’m still dealing with the nuclear explosion that is my life, but I’m hopeful that things are settling down a bit….Maybe in the spring. Please say hi to [the woman] for me.”
In another email included in the Epstein files, a redacted individual asked Epstein to “Please call Boris,” referring to Nikolic, the Epstein associate.
“He [Nikolic] is coming to Miami tomorrow night and then there is a 50% chance he will go to St. Barth’s for a day,” the email continues. “He said Kimbal is there and is trying to convince him.” The email does not clarify what location “there” refers to.
The documents reviewed by Boulder Reporting Lab do not establish that Musk traveled to the island.
Musk has publicly denied visiting Epstein’s island.
“My only meeting with that demon was in his New York office during the day I never met with him again and I never went to his island,” Musk wrote of Epstein in a Feb. 9, 2026 post on X.
The woman in Epstein‘s circle
The emails record Musk meeting on and off between 2012 and at least 2015 with a woman associated with Epstein and suggest a yearslong, on-and-off romantic relationship.
In one 2013 email to Epstein, a redacted sender wrote that Musk “was [the woman’s] guy.”
Musk has denied that Epstein introduced them.
“In 2012 I started dating a woman who was 30 years old,” Musk wrote on X on Feb. 9. “I met her through a friend. Epstein did not introduce us.” The documents do not establish how old the woman was at the time she met Musk.
In partially unredacted documents in the Epstein files, the woman appears as part of Epstein’s social circle and forwarded Epstein emails between herself and Musk regarding their relationship.
Other records indicate the woman lived with one of Epstein’s longtime girlfriends, Karyna Shuliak, for years, according to scans of checks listing both names at the same address and a 2015 email discussing renewal of their lease at 301 East 66th Street, New York. The Upper East Side apartment building was home to young models, girlfriends, pilots and lawyers associated with Epstein, according to 2019 reporting by Business Insider.
How they met
Emails in the Epstein files suggest that Epstein may have introduced Musk to the woman in the fall of 2012, a claim Musk has denied.
On Sept. 19, 2012, Nikolic emailed Epstein about meeting Kimbal Musk and Elon Musk the next night for Kimbal’s birthday.
“I told him that you will join us as well,” Nikolic wrote. “Also I told him that you are coming with [redacted] and that he might want to ditch his ex/or current to be. He said yes and is looking so much forward. So please prepare [redacted]—;) She might like Elon as well.”
While the name is redacted in that email, two days later, Nikolic emailed Epstein: “Kimbal really like [the woman] :-)”.
“We will need to distract the ex (any spare ambien);-)” he added.
On Sept. 23, Nikolic emailed Epstein that “[the woman] and kimball had a great time.” A month later, Musk emailed Nikolic and Epstein to thank them for “connecting me with [name of woman].”
“Kimbal — just fyi — you better be nice to [the woman] ;)” Nikolic responded to Musk. “Jeffrey goes crazy when someone mistreats his girls/friends.”
“Jeffrey: Message received wide and clear. ;)” Kimbal Musk responded, with Epstein copied. “Seriously, I am very happy with my time so far with [the woman].”
Epstein and her travel plans
Emails in the Epstein files suggest Epstein continued to be involved in the woman’s travel and scheduling during the time she was seeing Musk.
On Oct. 26, 2012, Epstein received an email with “[the woman’s] schedule” for the rest of the year, including dates to see Musk in New York, London and St. Barth’s. The schedule aligns with an Oct. 24, 2012 email Epstein received from a redacted address describing plans involving Musk.
“Hi! I can fly to island if you’d like from Denver Monday … Kimbal and I wouldn’t have plans again until the 7th&8th in NY, but you would have the final call if you prefer I say where you are,” the email with the redacted sender reads.
An April 12, 2013 email to Epstein again appears to seek his approval for plans involving Musk.
“Also, Kimbal mentioned me coming to Boulder the late evening of Thursday 18t=… Is this okay?” It reads. “Should I pack for both island and CO? Or just island?”
“both,” Epstein replied.
In a later exchange from Oct. 3, 2015, Musk emailed a redacted address, beginning “Hey [name of woman mentioned repeatedly in connection with Musk],” and inviting the recipient to The Kitchen’s annual fundraiser in Los Angeles. The recipient forwarded the email to Epstein, writing, “So sad I’m missing you in NY. I’ll be =ack when you said though to start up . Kimbal invited me =o this below, what do you think?”
“Go,” Epstein replied.
A strained period
Emails suggest the relationship between Musk and the woman was at times strained.
In March 2013, Epstein received an email from a redacted address: “I am in shock. [The woman] called me from plane about to depart for boulder. She is in economy and Kimbal is in the front!!!”
A month later, Musk emailed the woman stating that he was “just not able to do a real relationship right now.”
“Would you be up for going back a step to just dating?” he wrote. “I could tell you were sad that you couldn’t join me in Boulder, but honestly I don’t think I could handle staying relaxed with you in town.”
The woman forwarded the email to Epstein and sought his advice. “I just don’t think I’d EVER be a priority because he hasn’t shown any ability to get over history or find a way to emotionally cope with the future,” she wrote. In a separate email, she wrote to Epstein: “I’d prefer not to stay w Kimbal if we’re ‘dating’.”
“ok, good news now I have you back again, full time,” Epstein told her. “Come to ranch you’ll feel better, come tonight if you want.” Epstein owned Zorro Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which court documents in the Ghislaine Maxwell case describe as a location where minors were “groomed and/or abused.” Maxwell was convicted in 2022 of conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors.
The woman also reached out to hospitality and restaurant mogul Stephen Hanson for advice following the apparent end of her relationship with Musk, according to the files.
“U gave to much too quick,” he wrote. “U have to control this. Its a game. Your losing. Your not even playing.”