Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn's 2015 White House Visit Facilitated by Jeffrey Epstein

In 2015, Woody Allen and his wife, Soon-Yi Previn, embarked on a trip to Washington, D.C., where they obtained a tour of the White House through the assistance of Jeffrey Epstein. Newly disclosed emails included in a substantial batch of Justice Department files provide additional insight into Allen’s longstanding relationship with Epstein. This connection, known previously, is now further illuminated by records showing frequent social interaction and shared support among Allen, Previn, and Epstein, who were neighbors in New York City. According to the documents, the trio regularly dined together and maintained a close emotional rapport, especially during periods when they faced media criticism. They commiserated about accusations of sexual misconduct, which they portrayed to one another as unjust. The 2015 White House tour was organized via Epstein's influence with a former member of President Barack Obama's administration. An email dated May 2015 from Epstein to Kathy Ruemmler, former White House counsel, requested that Soon-Yi Previn be shown the White House, anticipating that Allen might be considered "too politically sensitive" for such a visit. Ruemmler responded affirmatively about showing both Allen and Previn around, while expressing reservations about Epstein gaining entry himself, referencing his guilty plea in 2008 related to solicitation of prostitution from an underage girl. White House records confirm that Allen, Previn, and Ruemmler toured the White House on December 27, 2015, a Sunday during which President Obama was in Hawaii. Ruemmler and Allen were among numerous high-profile individuals who maintained connections with Epstein, despite his status as a registered sex offender and widespread media coverage of his accusations of child abuse. Guests known to have joined Allen, Previn, and Epstein for dinners included notable figures such as talk show host Dick Cavett, linguist Noam Chomsky, and the late comedian David Brenner. Epstein also attended film screenings of Allen's work and was known to visit Allen during film editing sessions. In remarks prepared for an Epstein birthday event in 2016, Allen described the diversity and engagement of attendees at their dinners, praising the quality and abundance of the food and the service provided by household staff and young women whom he whimsically likened to vampires from classic cinema. Efforts to obtain comment from Allen or Previn via their assistant remained unanswered. Notably, Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The released emails indicate that Soon-Yi Previn acted frequently as a go-between for Allen and Epstein. Correspondence from the mid-1990s references scandals linked to Allen’s admission of a relationship with Previn, who is the adopted daughter of his then-partner Mia Farrow. Around the same period, Allen faced investigation by Connecticut state authorities over allegations of abuse involving their adopted daughter Dylan Farrow. While a prosecutor in 1993 indicated probable cause existed to charge Allen, the case did not proceed. Allen, who married Previn in 1997 and later adopted two daughters, has consistently denied any wrongdoing. The allegations became prominent again in 2014 after Dylan Farrow published an open letter in The New York Times. These developments led to Allen’s marginalization within parts of the American film community. Emails from 2016 reveal discussions among Epstein, Previn, and Allen comparing their personal scandals to contemporaneous allegations against Bill Cosby, who denied numerous accusations of drugging and abusing women. Epstein commented on public appetite for scapegoats, while Allen, via Previn, emphasized the differences between his own circumstances and those of Cosby. Allen reportedly expressed frustration about "many ugly unfair accusations" but noted a singular conflict with one discredited accuser. Epstein suggested that the public backlash against Allen stemmed largely from his controversial relationship with Previn. Allen, communicated through Previn, maintained that the personal nature of his romantic life was not subject to public judgment, stating he would neither separate from Previn nor apologize. Throughout, Epstein counseled a philosophy of personal enjoyment and resilience, highlighting that actors sometimes refuse roles but that this was inconsequential. Importantly, Allen has not been implicated in any of Epstein’s alleged abuses. The Justice Department files are being examined in collaboration with journalists from multiple news organizations, each providing independent analyses of the material.