On Jan. 16, 2026, a Threads user posted (archived) an image allegedly showing the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and four boys posing for a photo on an island, with his hand on one boy's shoulder.
The user's post claimed the image was not created with artificial-intelligence tools and added a message urging the release of the Epstein case files.
(@sharonrenebest/Threads)
In short, the Epstein photo was fake and created with the generative-AI platform Midjourney. It was first posted (archived) in March 2023 by an Instagram user with "AI" in their handle.
Snopes sourced reporting for this article from Know Your Meme, Reuters and the fact-checkers with the Italian Open publication.
Fake photo shows many signs of AI
Instagram user @aiartistking posted (archived) the original image as part of a two-image slideshow on March 25, 2023. The user's handle, reading as "AI Artist King," provided the first hint the user generated their content with AI tools.
The post's text caption featured the hashtags "#midjourney," "#midjourneyai" and "#midjourneyv5," identifying the user created the picture with Midjourney. That original, high-quality version of the image — when
(@aiartistking/Instagram)
The second AI-generated image in the slideshow showed Epstein posing with five boys. The image displayed the text "Epstein Island," referencing Epstein's Little St. James Island in the Caribbean Sea. When closely viewed directly on Instagram, Epstein's mouth and some of the boys' faces had deformities — another sign of AI.
(@aiartistking/Instagram)
The user @aiartistking hadn't posted any new content since 2023, and their profile did not contain external contact information.
More about the fake Epstein photo
Social media users reposted the AI-generated image of Epstein and the four boys in the weeks and months following the initial March 2023 Instagram post.
Those posts featured the false claim that the image depicted the twin hip-hop duo the Island Boys — Alex Venegas, known as "Flyysoulja," and Franky Venegas, who goes by "Kodiyakredd."
TMZ and investigative X user @hoaxeye reported further details of the Island Boys aspect of the rumor in May 2023.
For further reading, we previously reported about whether Epstein truly owned a painting of former U.S. President Bill Clinton wearing a blue dress.