Hawk, a longtime San Diego County resident with deep personal and business ties to the region, addressed the rumors directly this week after his name surfaced in a small number of references within the recently released “Epstein Files,” a massive trove of investigative material made public by the U.S. Department of Justice in late January. The documents, which include emails, search warrants, flight logs, and third-party tips, have reignited public scrutiny around Epstein’s network and fueled widespread speculation about anyone mentioned by name.
In an Instagram story post, Hawk laid out a clear timeline of his four marriages, emphasizing that none took place on Epstein’s private estate, Little Saint James, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He listed the locations as Fallbrook, California in 1990; San Diego in 1996 at a Hilton hotel; Tavarua Surf Island in Fiji in 2006; and Adare Manor in Ireland in 2015. “I apologize if they don’t fit a narrative of nonsense,” Hawk wrote, adding that the information is “easily verifiable” and that he has never met Epstein nor visited his island.
The rumor appears to have originated from an October 2024 email authored by an FBI agent summarizing a tip related to an alleged human trafficking victim. In that email, the tipster claimed the victim was present on Epstein’s island at the same time as several high-profile figures, including an unsubstantiated assertion that Tony Hawk was married there. The document was included in the recent release under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed by Congress last year.
Compounding the confusion was the fact that photographs from Hawk’s 2006 wedding in Fiji were credited on Getty Images to a photographer named Mark Epstein. Hawk clarified that the photographer is an unrelated action sports photographer from Wyoming who shares the same name as Epstein’s younger brother, a coincidence that online sleuths quickly attempted to connect.
Hawk’s name appears only a handful of times in the newly released records, and two of those references are tied not to personal travel or events, but to the 2010 Activision video game Tony Hawk: Shred. No evidence in the files links Hawk to Epstein’s residences, aircraft, or social circle.
Compounding the confusion was the fact that photographs from Hawk’s 2006 wedding in Fiji were credited on Getty Images to a photographer named Mark Epstein. Hawk clarified that the photographer is an unrelated action sports photographer from Wyoming who shares the same name as Epstein’s younger brother, a coincidence that online sleuths quickly attempted to connect.
Hawk’s name appears only a handful of times in the newly released records, and two of those references are tied not to personal travel or events, but to the 2010 Activision video game Tony Hawk: Shred. No evidence in the files links Hawk to Epstein’s residences, aircraft, or social circle.
The resurfacing of Epstein-related material has once again stirred intense public debate, particularly given Epstein’s 2019 death in federal custody while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. While his death was ruled a suicide, it has remained the subject of persistent skepticism and conspiracy theories, amplified each time new documents or names emerge.
For San Diego, Hawk’s response carries particular local relevance. Beyond his status as one of the most recognizable figures in action sports history, Hawk has become a visible part of the region’s business and cultural landscape. He lives in the area, maintains long-standing community ties, and has expanded into the local restaurant scene both publicly and as a behind-the-scenes investor. His ventures include the long-delayed Chick & Hawk fried chicken restaurant in Leucadia and Novecientos Grados, a Mexican-inspired bar and restaurant developed with celebrity chef Claudette Zepeda at San Diego International Airport’s new Terminal 1.
Hawk has generally avoided political or celebrity scandal commentary, making his decision to publicly rebut the claim notable. In his post, he emphasized the importance of basic fact-checking amid the renewed frenzy surrounding the Epstein files, writing, “Facts are not fungible,” and apologizing to his photographer friend for being swept into what he described as a “misinformation vortex.”
As the release of millions of pages of Epstein-related records continues to be parsed by journalists, online commentators, and conspiracy theorists alike, Hawk’s case underscores how easily unverified claims can spread, and how quickly reputations can be pulled into controversies untethered from actual evidence.
For San Diego, Hawk’s response carries particular local relevance. Beyond his status as one of the most recognizable figures in action sports history, Hawk has become a visible part of the region’s business and cultural landscape. He lives in the area, maintains long-standing community ties, and has expanded into the local restaurant scene both publicly and as a behind-the-scenes investor. His ventures include the long-delayed Chick & Hawk fried chicken restaurant in Leucadia and Novecientos Grados, a Mexican-inspired bar and restaurant developed with celebrity chef Claudette Zepeda at San Diego International Airport’s new Terminal 1.
Hawk has generally avoided political or celebrity scandal commentary, making his decision to publicly rebut the claim notable. In his post, he emphasized the importance of basic fact-checking amid the renewed frenzy surrounding the Epstein files, writing, “Facts are not fungible,” and apologizing to his photographer friend for being swept into what he described as a “misinformation vortex.”
As the release of millions of pages of Epstein-related records continues to be parsed by journalists, online commentators, and conspiracy theorists alike, Hawk’s case underscores how easily unverified claims can spread, and how quickly reputations can be pulled into controversies untethered from actual evidence.
Originally published on November 7, 2026.
