Podcast Summary:
The Parnas Perspective – "Jeffrey Epstein Survivor Jess Michaels Speaks Out. Share Her Story."
Host: Aaron Parnas
Guest: Jess Michaels
Date: January 24, 2026
Overview
This intensely personal episode of The Parnas Perspective features Jess Michaels, a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse and founder of the organization Three Joann's. Jess shares her firsthand account of being victimized by Epstein in the early 1990s, explores the long road to coming forward, highlights systemic failures and silencing of survivors, and offers resources and perspective for other survivors. The episode is both a testimony of survival and a call to action for increased compassion, understanding, and institutional support for people who have experienced sexual violence.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Present-Day Emotional Landscape
00:17 – 01:42
- Jess describes the current media attention on Epstein as “almost worse than silence,” calling out strategic ignoring in the past versus today’s “extreme” of both horror and validation.
- She experiences “horrific dread and grief” alongside hope as others come forward:
"There's this real extreme happening in my body of horrific dread and grief...and then the beauty of this moment of people finally listening and recognizing, oh, this is what I've been healing for..." – Jess Michaels [00:42]
2. Jess’s Story: The Encounter with Epstein
01:42 – 10:51
- Jess recounts her promising career as a professional dancer before July 8, the date she met Epstein.
- Her roommate (“Christine”) was already working for Epstein, describing the opportunity in glowing terms.
- Jess details being “set up” through an interview process, given a massage book to study, and then called to Epstein’s penthouse for a “trial massage.”
- Epstein’s sudden nudity was the first “red flag.” Jess emphasizes she was “a bit of a prude” and unprepared for what transpired.
- She bravely shares the moment of assault:
“He raped me. I heard him pull...$100 bills out of his robe and he threw them on the table. I was devastated...The words that kept coming to me were, you don’t want this to happen. Why can’t you just stop it?” – Jess Michaels [06:09]
- Jess touches on the brain’s “freeze” response, highlighting self-blame and the misunderstanding survivors often face about not ‘fighting back.’
3. The Aftermath: Silence, Self-Blame, and Relocation
08:25 – 10:51
- Jess describes leaving the penthouse, feeling catatonic and unseen:
“I distinctly remember walking past that doorman...not being able to say anything, noting that everything had just changed...he can’t even see it.” – Jess Michaels [08:25]
- She soon moved out of New York, unable to remain in the city she had loved.
- Jess did not talk to her roommate immediately, feeling “embarrassed and humiliated,” believing she was the only one.
4. The Recruitment Network: Systemic Complicity
10:51 – 11:17
- Years later, Jess discovered her roommate continued working for Epstein for years and had even tried recruiting other girls:
“There were recruiters before Ghislaine Maxwell...that was what I tried to tell the FBI. And I felt like nobody was listening to me at all.” – Jess Michaels [11:10]
5. Attempts to Report: Obstacles and Frustration
11:24 – 15:43
- Jess sought advice after seeing Epstein’s face in the news in 2018 (post-#MeToo movement and Julie K. Brown’s reporting).
- Waited to contact the FBI until after his arrest, ultimately feeling dismissed:
“...it was 30 years ago. What do you want us to do?”—investigating officer, paraphrased by Jess [12:53]
- Explains she missed coverage of Epstein’s first case (early 2000s) and “sweetheart deal,” as it wasn’t widely recognized or surfaced for her.
- Tells of a lawyer reflecting back to her:
“You realize you’re a victim, too, right? It’s like I couldn’t sit in that place right away...” [14:53]
- Points out how survivors' understanding of victimization and legal recourse has evolved, but “at no time did my understanding...get past what my original understanding of the law was.”
6. Media and Public Focus: The Power of Naming
16:12 – 17:56
- Aaron raises the issue of always using “Epstein’s” name versus “defendant,” highlighting the constant personal impact on survivors.
- Jess responds:
“It feels personal every time I see his name and face...people often prefer the outlandish, the drama, the glamour of talking about the world of Jeffrey Epstein, rather than the pain and the torture and the betrayal of institutions to Epstein survivors.” [16:29]
7. Societal Shifts and the Language of Trauma
17:56 – 21:35
- The two discuss changing attitudes: “We don’t believe women have pain...Now we do, but society is shifting back.”
- Jess is wary of “trauma-informed” as a buzzword, striving to give concrete language to trauma’s impact:
“My heart rate accelerates...my stomach suddenly goes into a tight knot...my whole body tightens...it turns into insomnia...I pick up my phone and I see his fucking face everywhere...” [18:08]
8. Ghislaine Maxwell and Institutional Failure
19:40 – 21:44
- Jess critiques politicians who fall prey to Ghislaine Maxwell’s manipulation, underscoring that Maxwell was not a powerless victim, but a perpetrator.
- Asserts that public confusion about power dynamics fuels misperception and continued harm.
9. Advocacy, Mission, and Resources
21:57 – 26:33
- Jess founds Three Joann's, a public benefit corporation dedicated to “lifting the burden of shame from survivors and educating [their] support systems.” [22:01]
- She describes the profound isolation survivors feel even with professional help, due to lack of community support and language around sexual violence.
- Advocacy includes calls for better sex education, resources, and “empathetic witnesses”:
“Trauma is not the event. Trauma is the absence of an empathetic witness.” [24:36]
- Provides resources for survivors:
- Valor US ([25:00]) – get help by finding local resources by state.
- Callisto (ProjectCallisto.org) ([25:58]) – encrypted reporting and connection platform for college students, pointing out average offenders target six times.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On healing and public attention:
"It's this horrific, horrific moment and beautiful at the same time." – Jess Michaels [01:23]
- On self-blame and the freeze response:
"At 22, I should be able to protect myself...I didn't understand that when you freeze, you no longer have access to that part of the brain to make a decision." – Jess Michaels [07:22]
- On the isolation after trauma:
"I can sit here and I can talk to you about it, but as soon as I walk out that door, I feel like I'm walking around alone and really isolated because there's no one outside of these four walls that can hold space for me at all." – Jess Michaels [22:55]
- On seeking resources and support:
“PTSD is not the event. Trauma is not the event. It’s the absence of an empathetic witness...The minute you start sharing it [your story], how people respond determines its impact.” – Jess Michaels [24:36]
- On the media’s priorities:
“People often prefer the outlandish, the drama, the glamour of talking about the world of Jeffrey Epstein rather than the pain and the torture and the betrayal of institutions.” – Jess Michaels [16:29]
Important Timestamps
| Time | Segment | |---------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:42 | Jess describes her current feelings during renewed Epstein media attention | | 03:00 | Start of Jess’s recounting her story and first encounter with Epstein | | 06:09 | Description of the assault and her subsequent psychological response | | 08:25 | Aftermath: leaving the building and feeling invisible | | 10:51 | Revelation of her roommate’s role as a recruiter, systemic network description | | 11:24 | Timeline and challenges of reporting to authorities post-#MeToo | | 14:53 | Realization and acceptance of her own victimhood | | 16:29 | The impact of the media’s repeated use of Epstein’s name and the focus on him | | 18:08 | Concrete description of her physical trauma response and hypervigilance | | 19:40 | Comments on Ghislaine Maxwell’s role and public misperceptions | | 22:01 | Jess explains her mission with Three Joann’s and the need for supporting survivors | | 24:36 | Outlines the crucial role of empathetic witnesses for trauma and healing | | 25:00 | Details about Valor US resource for survivors | | 25:58 | Introduction of Callisto (encrypted survivor support/connection tool) |
Closing Reflection
This episode delivers essential insight not only into one survivor’s journey but also into the cultural and systemic issues that allow abuse and silence to persist. Jess Michaels’s willingness to share—with specificity, candor, and advocacy—serves as both validation and a call for action. Aaron Parnas’s thoughtful questioning and support reinforce the urgent need for listening, believing, and supporting survivors, not just as stories but as individuals and communities.