Jeffrey Epstein was refused entry to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child‘s Broadway opening party, according to U.S. Department of Justice files on the sex offender.
The Epstein documents revealed that the late financier wanted to attend the Cursed Child event in April 2018 and was sent tickets by the stage show’s producers, but was ultimately turned away at the door.
J.K. Rowling‘s critics jumped to the conclusion that she had invited Epstein, but in a post on X/Twitter, the Harry Potter author denied ever meeting or communicating with the criminal. The DoJ documents support her recollection of events.
Two days before the Cursed Child curtain raiser, Peggy Siegal, the showbiz publicist and Epstein’s longtime associate, emailed Playground Entertainment boss Colin Callender saying a “very important friend” wanted to “come see the spectacle,” though she did not name Epstein in her message.
Callender replied, saying he would “get him in” and handed Siegal over to a member of his team. At this point, Siegal named her friend. “Please deal with Jeffrey Epstein’s assistant,” she told the Playground employee. Callender told Deadline that he was never made aware of Epstein’s identity as Siegal’s Cursed Child guest and the millionaire was not on the original 1,600-long invite list.
‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ invitation (source: DoJ)
Even though tickets made their way to Epstein, the emails reveal that his attendance did not go to plan. The financier was not sent the correct tickets for the evening, and in an email to Siegal, he claimed that his name was not on the door. “Couldnt get in,” Epstein told Siegal the next morning. “No biggy but thought you should know.”
Siegal was furious, emailing Playground to complain that the incident was “terribly upsetting” and she was “incredibly embarrassed.” She demanded an “apology note,” though Callender told Deadline that no one at Playground said sorry. Siegal was contacted for comment.
In her X/Twitter post, Rowling responded to a user who claimed she was “sending invitations to Epstein 10 years after he was convicted.” Rowling said: “This is beyond silly. Neither I, nor anybody on my team, ever met, communicated with or invited Jeffrey Epstein to anything.”
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child continues to play at the Lyric Theatre on Broadway.
