Jeffrey Epstein Look-alike Breaks Silence After Viral Sighting: 'This Whole Thing Is Phenomenal' 

A Florida man who now goes by the name Palm Beach Pete has publicly spoken out to clarify that he is not Jeffrey Epstein after a video of him driving on I-95 went viral.

The situation unfolded after a driver filmed Pete, a real estate professional and a former D1 tennis player, without his knowledge, leading social media users to speculate that the dead child abuser was still alive due to Pete's striking physical resemblance to him.

In a video posted to address the rumors, the Epstein doppelganger said, “I'm not Jeffrey Epstein. I'm Palm Beach Pete.”

Palm Beach Pete recently appeared on “The Nicky Gordo Show,” a digital talk show and podcast hosted by South Florida rapper Fat Nick, who often uses the moniker "Nicky Gordo,” for an episode titled "Did We Find Jeffrey Epstein?"

“It turns out, he’s not Epstein,” the host said. “Today, we can finally put the rumors to rest. We got ‘Palm Beach Pete’ in the building.”

Pete said he was unaware he was being filmed until he checked his phone hours later and found it "blowing up" with comments, describing the sudden attention as "pretty crazy" and thanked viewers for the traction, while the internet continues to debate the resemblance.

"This whole thing is phenomenal. I'm driving down I-95, minding my own business, and some knucklehead films me, and the next thing I know, my phone is blowing up," Pete recalled.

“Out of control,” he added.

“You’re just cruising in your car, and some guy says, ‘Whoa, Epstein is alive,'" the host joked.

Pete explained how the whole situation unfolded, and he went from random Florida man to “viral Jeffrey Epstein.”

“I'm minding my own business, driving down to play some tennis, and the next thing you know, hundreds of millions of views all over the world. Phone calls all over the place,” he explained.

“When it first dropped, I was in a restaurant with my girlfriend, and she said, ‘They’re talking about you,’ so I went over, and I said, ‘Are you talking about me? And they said, 'Are you the guy that went viral all over the internet?' and I said, 'Yup, that’s me,' and they wanted to take a photo with me. ... snot’s coming out of his nose because he just met ‘viral Jeffrey Epstein.”

The viral moment coincides with ongoing public interest in Epstein, as the Department of Justice continues to release investigative files related to his case.

Epstein has joined the ranks of Elvis Presley and Tupac Shakur among conspiracy theorists who believe they are all still alive.

Photos circulated in early 2026, purportedly showing Epstein with a long white beard in Tel Aviv, Israel. These images were debunked as being generated by artificial intelligence.