We finally know the truth about *that* viral picture of Stephen Hawking with women in bikinis

A viral picture of Stephen Hawking with women in bikinis has been going around, and now his family has finally spoken out about the truth behind it.

Since the Epstein files have been made public, loads of pictures and videos have been going around. Earlier this year, one particular picture of Stephen Hawking started doing the rounds, where he is smiling with two women on each side in bikinis. Because it was linked to the massive dump of documents involving Jeffrey Epstein, people on social media immediately started jumping to some pretty wild conclusions.

So, what is actually going on in that photo?

via Department of Justice

Stephen Hawking’s family members have now revealed who those women are in the picture. According to The Times, they were actually his long-term carers.

Because of his motor neurone disease, Hawking needed round-the-clock medical support. These women had travelled with him all the way from the UK to look after him during a trip. So, the “bikini” context was literally just because they were at a tropical location, not because of anything scandalous.

The family explained that the picture dates back to 2006. Hawking was staying at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Thomas for a major physics conference. He was actually a keynote speaker, giving a talk on quantum cosmology.

Okay, so why is it in the Epstein files at all?

Most Read

Everything else John Davidson shouted at the BAFTAs, as racial slur causes Tourette’s debate

Omg, Bonnie Blue reveals she’s actually pregnant after 400-man no protection challenge

I’m a Black person with Tourette’s, here’s my take on the John Davidson BAFTAs incident

via Department of Justice

Well, it turns out Epstein actually funded the conference and hosted the 21 scientists who attended. According to a blog post about the event, the scientists could “meet, discuss, relax on the beach, and take a trip to the nearby private island retreat” between their sessions, which is when the photo was snapped.

There was also a lot of talk about a leaked email where Epstein mentioned Hawking being involved in an “underage o*gy.” It sounds shocking, but it was actually an email from Epstein to Ghislaine Maxwell trying to disprove the claims.

The message from Epstein read, “You can issue a reward to any of Virginia’s friends, acquaints, family that come forward and help prove her allegations are false. The strongest is the Clinton dinner. And the new version in the Virgin Islands is that Stephen Hawking participated in an underage o*gy.”

He was basically suggesting they offer a reward to anyone who could help show that these specific allegations were false.

In an interview with the Mirror, a representative for the Hawking family said, “Professor Hawking made some of the greatest contributions to physics in the 20th century while at the same time being the longest-known survivor of motor neurone disease, a debilitating condition which left him reliant on a ventilator, voice synthesiser, wheelchair and round-the-clock medical care.”

They added, “Any insinuation of inappropriate conduct on his part is wrong and far-fetched in the extreme.”

For more like this, like The Tab on Facebook.