Old Lady Gaga image falsely linked to Epstein
- Published on February 13, 2026 at 06:25
- 2 min read
- By AFP Middle East & North Africa
- Translation and adaptation Raevathi SUPRAMANIAM, AFP Malaysia
The latest tranche of published documents from the US government's investigation into Jeffrey Epstein has spotlighted the convicted sex offender's staggering global web of influence. But online posts suggesting a photo from the files shows pop superstar Lady Gaga consuming human flesh with Epstein in fact share an image from a New York art exhibit. The picture has been publicly available since the event was held in July 2013.
"Do you know what Epstein was eating? Do you know what's lying in there? They are eating human flesh," reads a Malay-language Facebook post shared February 4, 2026.
The featured image shows pop superstar Lady Gaga with a spoon in her mouth.
Next to her is Serbian performance artist Marina Abramovic, seen reaching towards a human-shaped figure lying in a container filled with dark red liquid.
The image also circulated on Instagram and was shared in similar posts written in French, Portuguese and Arabic, with some users claiming the picture was taken on "Epstein Island", Epstein's notorious Caribbean hideaway.
The posts surfaced after the US Justice Department released millions of documents from its investigation into Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking underage girls (archived link).
Previous releases have shed light on the wealthy financier's ties to leading business executives, celebrities, academics and politicians, including US President Donald Trump and former leader Bill Clinton.
The mere mention of someone's name in the files does not, in itself, imply any wrongdoing by that person.
However, the documents made public show at the very least connections between Epstein or his circle and certain public figures who have often downplayed -- or even denied -- the existence of such ties.
Several comments to the circulating posts indicate people believed the picture was linked to the Epstein files.
"This is devil worship, its how most influential leaders came to be, like Trump," one wrote.
"They're no longer humans, its satanism," said another.
Lady Gaga was mentioned in several emails included in the latest cache of Epstein files, though only in passing, in reference to a 2011 concert in New York.
Meanwhile, Abramovic is referenced in newsletters and in an email about her art exhibition in 2014.
But the circulating image is unrelated.
Art exhibit
A reverse image search on Google found an identical picture published on Instagram on November 2, 2024 (archived link).
"Lady Gaga and Marina Abramovic experiencing Lisa Lozano's haunting 'Funérailles de Miel' -- a performance where a body lies submerged in a coffin-sized vat of honey, inviting viewers to taste," reads the caption.
A subsequent keyword search traced the photo to the website of American visual media company Getty Images (archived link).
Its caption says: "Lady Gaga and Marina Abramovic attend The 20th Annual Watermill Center Summer Benefit at The Watermill Center on July 27, 2013 in Water Mill, New York"
The fundraiser exhibition -- called Devil's Heaven -- featured living sculptures, many of them nude, performing throughout the grounds of the Watermill Center in New York (archived link).
Other pictures from the event were also published by Getty Images, while photos showing how the exhibit came together were uploaded on the Watermill Center's Flickr account (archived here and here).
The event was covered by several art review and society pages.
AFP has fact-checked more misinformation related to Epstein here.
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