The Daily Beast Podcast

Episode Title: Epstein Served Me Up For Trump's Sick Pleasure
Date: December 18, 2025
Host: Joanna Coles
Guest: Stacey Williams (former supermodel)

Episode Overview

In this gripping episode, Joanna Coles interviews former Sports Illustrated model Stacey Williams about her harrowing experiences in the modeling industry, her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, and a shocking incident involving Donald Trump. The discussion is set against the backdrop of the imminent public release of the Epstein files—a release long demanded by journalists and survivors alike. Williams’ firsthand account not only highlights the normalized culture of sexual predation in fashion but also examines power dynamics at the centers of politics, media, and wealth. The conversation is raw, honest, and often emotional.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Stacey Williams’ Journey to Modeling

• Background: From rural Pennsylvania, humble beginnings (family: coal miners).
• Early modeling work paid exponentially more than her previous jobs, catapulting her into a new world fast (05:20).
  • “I was scrubbing toilets one day for minimum wage, and then literally within six months, I was, you know, as Adena Lai, was fitting clothes on me and was doing editorial shoots...” – Stacey Williams (05:48)
• The shift from small town life to global fashion was surreal—“like Dorothy... going from black and white to color... but then, you know, the wicked witch was there, and there’s the dark, dark side.” (06:20)

The Dark Side of the Modeling Industry

• Lack of protection, oversight, or even basic education about dangers for young models moving to big cities or overseas.
  • No chaperones, Wild West culture: “We didn’t have chaperones. We didn’t have anyone warning us. I didn’t know what a roofie was. I was roofied in Paris the first year that I was there.” – Stacey Williams (09:21)
• Culture of sexual predation rampant and normalized among agents, editors, and industry gatekeepers.
  • “There were. The industry was loaded with sexual predators. I attracted people, obviously, like Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein.” – Stacey Williams (06:40)
  • “I was roofied in Paris… There is overlap with this group and Epstein, I might add, and Jean Luc Brunel.” (11:04)
  • “The example of when I got roofied was this notorious group of Playboys… And I know other women who had gone to dinners to that place and they... Most of them have been raped.” – Stacey Williams (13:46)
• Victim-blaming and complicity were the norm:
  • “The editors were standing there, and it was just like, you know, the message was always, don’t make a big deal out of it. You know, he’s just being funny. You know, he’s just. Boys will be boys.” (19:48)
  • “So the, you know, the industry in general would send messages to us maybe not necessarily commanding that we sleep with people…but at a bare minimum, it was like, don’t make waves. Go along with this obnoxious, predatory behavior. It’s part of the game.” (20:45)

Epstein, Trump, and Personal Accounts

• First introduction: Williams met Epstein through her agency; Faith Cates facilitated the connection (who, per recent news, is linked to Epstein in his emails and stepped down from her role) (16:36).
  • “She introduced me to Jeffrey... and that’s how I started dating him, which led to obviously, months later, him walking me into Trump Tower to be groped, assaulted by Donald Trump while the two men stood there and watched and talked…” – Stacey Williams (17:31)
• Central Incident:
  • Epstein took Williams to Trump Tower under vague pretenses; Trump groped her in Epstein’s presence.
  • “Donald Trump groped you in front of Jeffrey Epstein, who you were supposedly dating at the time. And in retrospect, you realized that they had probably set this up in advance.” – Joanna Coles (17:53)
  • “Yes, yes. It made sense afterwards...” – Stacey Williams (18:12)
  • “He did it. You know, it was so hidden in its brazenness. When he was groping me in broad daylight, an assistant was walking by. I absolutely froze.” – Stacey Williams (22:25)
  • Epstein not only did nothing but seemed to set Williams up for the incident purposely, possibly as some “sick game.” When she failed to react as he perhaps intended, he raged at her afterwards (22:56).

The Culture of Silence, Disclosure, and Its Aftermath

• Industry pressure: Agents wanted her to be less “combative,” i.e., do not resist or call out predatory behavior (19:00).
• Coming forward:
  • Williams began speaking out about the Epstein-Trump relationship in 2016, providing info to major outlets (Vanity Fair, Washington Post, etc.), but details of her own assault weren’t public until the 2023 documentary Beyond the Gaze was released.
  • “I didn’t come forward publicly and speak to national media about it and give the specifics about the assault that happened in Donald’s office until last fall.” – Stacey Williams (31:51)
• Disclosure’s hardships:
  • “Disclosure is so complex. It takes everyone, however long it takes to be comfortable enough to feel strong enough to survive disclosure and the scrutiny and the backlash that comes at you when you disclose.” – Stacey Williams (27:36)
  • Fear, media targeting, and concern for survivors’ families keep many women from coming forward.

The Release of the Epstein Files & Systemic Barriers

• Emotional toll: The drawn-out process of releasing the Epstein files is both validating (for survivors) and infuriating due to historic coverups and official resistance.
  • “It’s sickening that it took this long... the extent that the White House and the Trump administration has gone to keep truth and justice from happening makes me sick.” – Stacey Williams (26:34)
  • Congressional resistance and eventual cross-party cooperation (including Republicans Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Nancy Mace) finally pushed the files’ release; strong-arming from the White House noted (48:55).
  • “Full credit for bucking the White House on that... It does bum me out that... when people are just doing the right thing by not covering for pedophiles... everyone wants to champion them.” – Stacey Williams (50:53)

Survivors, Justice, and Mental Health

• On a fellow survivor's death (Virginia Giuffre, by suicide):
  • “The Virginia thing broke my heart. I cannot believe the tortured existence that she had to live. And it’s one of the reasons why I keep doing this and I keep talking about it, and I’m not going to stop. These survivors deserve justice.” – Stacey Williams (43:12)
• Staying resilient:
  • Coping mechanisms include therapy, exercise, cooking, and surrounding herself with supportive people. “I’ve had enough therapy in my life and read enough Brené Brown books and have an incredible group of people around me just supporting me personally, that I’m able to be in a position to do this now and not have it totally subsume me.” (47:22)
  • A refreshingly honest take on vulnerability: “I don’t know how balanced I am. I think it depends on the hour.” (46:56)
• Solidarity and perspective:
  • Repeatedly emphasizes that her experience, while traumatic, doesn’t compare in severity to younger survivors or those who were trafficked as minors.

Reflections on Broader Implications

• On institutional impunity:
  • While the scandal brought down many men in powerful positions, Trump faced no such consequences and remains U.S. President.
  • “This wasn’t hearsay. This was him showing it on camera… and he was still elected. I think that just points to the fact that misogyny runs deep and we have a lot of work to do.” – Stacey Williams (46:02)
• On Prince Andrew:
  • “At the very least, he should have to be a lot more forthcoming about what he knows, and he should want to. He has two daughters, right? I mean, these men that all love their daughters but are willing to cover up for pedophiles, I don’t know how they look at themselves. Be on the right side of history, Andrew. Seriously.” (45:26)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On being “set up” for Trump’s pleasure

  • “He did it. You know, it was so hidden in its brazenness. When he was groping me in broad daylight, an assistant was walking by. I absolutely froze.”
    – Stacey Williams (22:25)

• On the normalization of predation

  • “There was a fashion. There was a booking editor, Elle magazine, who looked at me at one point and said, when I was up for a job, she goes, you know, Stacey, I have to be honest with you. When we go on a trip, you want to take someone who’s going to be fun?”
    – Stacey Williams (19:47)

• On why more survivors don’t come forward

  • “I think the primary reason when I speak to other survivors who haven’t come forward is their children. These women are protecting their children. They don’t want to draw this into their lives. And so, you know, I can understand that.”
    – Stacey Williams (27:50)

• On the industry’s complicity

  • “The industry in general would send messages to us... at a bare minimum, it was like, don’t make waves. Go along with this obnoxious, predatory behavior. It’s part of the game.” – Stacey Williams (20:45)

• On the release of the Epstein files

  • “I truly appreciate it because I, you know, had we not gotten it through the House and gotten everyone on board... they had full court pressure from the White House, obviously… and they did not succumb to the pressure. And I so commend them for that.”
    – Stacey Williams (50:11)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Modeling origins and sudden rise — 05:20–07:39
• First experiences of predation, drugging in Paris — 09:21–13:50
• “Playboy” predators, Jean Luc Brunel, and shared experiences of rape — 13:14–16:10
• Meeting Epstein, Faith Cates connection — 16:36–17:31
• Being “served up” to Trump by Epstein, assault recounted — 17:53–22:56
• How the industry enabled predators — 19:00–21:16
• On speaking up, the cost of disclosure, why survivors stay silent — 27:36–32:52
• Release and anticipation of Epstein files; political pushback — 26:34–30:28, 48:55–51:21
• Impact of Virginia Giuffre’s suicide — 41:48–44:15
• On Prince Andrew, institutional complicity, and survivor justice — 44:15–46:32
• Staying mentally healthy after trauma — 46:32–48:55

Conclusion

This episode of The Daily Beast Podcast is a powerful testament to systemic abuse within elite circles and the courage it takes for survivors to speak out. Williams’ personal stories bring a raw, vividly human perspective to the much-reported but often anonymized story of Jeffrey Epstein’s world.

The conversation underscores how predatory behavior was not only tolerated but expected at the crossroads of fashion, money, and politics. It also explores the lingering costs borne by survivors and the pressing need for accountability, transparency, and cultural change—including the slow but real victories, like the release of the Epstein files.

Stacey Williams: “I keep talking about it, and I’m not going to stop. These survivors deserve justice. And, you know, and I think a lot of us at this point feel like we’re doing it for [Virginia Giuffre], too. You know, we want her to see this. We want justice for her.” (43:12)

For listeners:
If you want to learn more about Stacey Williams’s story, watch Beyond the Gaze (about the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue) and follow the latest coverage on the Epstein Files at The Daily Beast.