Since his arrest and mysterious death in 2019, the case around Jeffrey Epstein and his intricate web of deceit, predation, and lies has continued to baffle authorities and the public alike. In July 2020, the arrest of his longtime associate, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, offered much needed hope to move forward with obtaining justice for the countless underage, female victims who suffered traumatic sexual assault and abuse at the hands of Epstein. While Maxwell has maintained her innocence, causing more questions to swirl and continued pain for Epstein’s survivors, the gripping new docuseries CHASING GHISLAINE offers an in-depth and revelatory look at the woman who is accused of sharing a twisted and chilling partnership with Epstein – and who may hold the only key to unlocking the still-hidden secrets of his horrible crimes, and the coterie of powerful men who surrounded him. A pre-premiere of the three-part special will stream on discovery+ on Monday, November 22. All three parts of CHASING GHISLAINE will then air back to back on ID starting at 8 ET/7 CT on Friday, December 3.
Executive Produced by James Patterson, author of the New York Times bestselling Filthy Rich: The Jeffrey Epstein Story, the engrossing special follows acclaimed author and journalist Vicky Ward, one of the first to interview Epstein and to have spoken to two of Epstein’s survivors about their on-the-record sexual abuse allegations. Ward shares hours long transcripts of her early conversations with Epstein, speaks with fascinating sources, and conducts extensive research trying to piece together the question in the forefront of everyone’s minds as Maxwell’s trial approaches: what was the motivation for the bizarre alleged bond between Maxwell and Epstein and why did she not speak with authorities about him if she had the chance?
Over the course of three parts, viewers will watch as Ward tracks down key information about Maxwell that may hold the power to break through the protection of Epstein’s powerful circle around his criminal enterprise. Ward shares filmed footage from more than 30 interviews conducted for her Audible podcast of the same name, featuring extensive accounts from journalists, biographers, and former friends and employees of Maxwell and Epstein. CHASING GHISLAINE exposes new revelations about the disgraced British socialite’s past, her reportedly dark relationship with Epstein, and how she allegedly stopped simply acting as Epstein’s connector to the rich and powerful and began to make introductions of a different sort – allegedly finding young girls to satisfy Epstein’s twisted, insatiable needs.
“The heartbreaking reality of the Jeffrey Epstein case is that it’s about so much more than Epstein’s gross abuse of his wealth, stature, and connections – it’s a larger picture of the disturbing nature of male power and the way in which some people will do everything they can to protect and satiate men in that position. With CHASING GHISLAINE, we are able to bring our viewers a comprehensive deep dive into one of the most globally divisive figures in this case, Ghislaine Maxwell, just as her trial begins in the U.S.,” said Jason Sarlanis, President of Crime and Investigative Content. “We’re proud to work with James Patterson, journalist Vicky Ward and our trusted partners at Blackfin to shed light on this important story unfolding in real time.”
CHASING GHISLAINE is produced for discovery+ and ID by BLACKFIN (an eOne company) in association with James Patterson Entertainment with Vicky Ward, Geno McDermott, Bill Robinson and Emily M. Bernstein also serving as Executive Producers. Pamela Deutsch is Executive Producer for discovery+ and ID.
About BLACKFIN
Blackfin, an eOne company, was founded in 2014 by director and executive producer Geno McDermott, who now serves as eOne’s President, U.S. Unscripted, Television under Tara Long. Since its inception, the company has established itself as an industry leader in producing premium nonfiction content. Blackfin’s diverse slate of past and current productions ranges from best-in-class true crime series and specials in Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez and Unseamly: The Investigation of Peter Nygård… to epic historical documentaries and docu-dramas in Tulsa Burning: The Rise and Fall of Black Wall Street and Jerusalem: City of Faith & Fury… to globetrotting mysteries in Finding Escobar’s Millions. Our series, specials and films reach audiences on NETFLIX, HULU, DISCOVERY+, CNN, DISCOVERY, ID, HISTORY, NAT GEO and internationally, and our feature films have premiered at festivals including DOC NYC.
About James Patterson Entertainment
Founded by one of the most successful storytellers of all time, James Patterson Entertainment produces compelling projects across a range of media, guided by a singular mission: to develop Patterson’s vast catalog of IP, adored by millions of fans worldwide, into film, scripted and doc series, audio dramas, and multi-media experiences that appeal to the broadest possible audience.
Led by president and executive producer Bill Robinson, JPE most recently produced the #1 Netflix hit, Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich and primetime broadcast procedural Instinct, as well as 3 seasons of the hit summer series Zoo, both on CBS. The company is also behind the true-crime series Murder is Forever on Investigation Discovery and the Emmy-winning PBS children’s program Kid Stew. Features include The Postcard Killings and Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life.
Chasing Ghislaine for discovery+ represents JPE’s debut project under their newly signed first look deal with eOne Entertainment.
About Vicky Ward
Vicky Ward is a New York Times bestselling author and an investigative reporter. From July 2019 to June 2020, she was Senior Reporter at CNN. She is also an editor at large at Town & Country magazine and a contributor to Esquire. Previously, she was the editor at large at HuffPost and HuffPost’s long-form magazine, Highline, and a contributing editor to Vanity Fair for eleven years. Her most recent book—”Kushner, Inc.: Greed. Power. Corruption. The Extraordinary Story of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump (St. Martin’s Press, 2019)”—was an instant New York Times bestseller. Her previous books are “The Liar’s Ball” (Wiley, 2014) and “The Devil’s Casino” (Wiley, 2010). Previously she was the executive editor of Talk Magazine and the New York Post Features and News Features editor. She has also been a columnist for the London Evening Standard and has contributed to, among others, The Financial Times, The New York Times, The London Times and Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, the UK Spectator Magazine, British Vogue, US Harpers Bazaar, and Porter.
About discovery+
discovery+ is the definitive non-fiction, real life subscription streaming service. discovery+ features a landmark partnership with Verizon that gives their customers with select plans up to 12 months of discovery+ on Verizon. discovery+ has the largest-ever content offering of any new streaming service at launch, featuring a wide range of exclusive, original series across popular, passion verticals in which Discovery brands have a strong leadership position, including lifestyle and relationships; home and food; true crime; paranormal; adventure and natural history; as well as science, tech and the environment, and a slate of high-quality documentaries. For more, visit discoveryplus.com or find it on a variety of platforms and devices, including ones from Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Roku and Samsung.
About INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY (ID)
Investigation Discovery (ID) is the leading crime and justice network on television. Delivering the highest-quality programming to approximately 80 million U.S. households, ID is also available via the network’s TV Everywhere offering, IDGo. For exclusive web content and bonus material, fans can follow ID on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook or check out the network’s true crime blog, CrimeFeed. Investigation Discovery is part of Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), a global leader in real life entertainment, serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world with content that inspires, informs and entertains. For more information, please visit corporate.discovery.com and follow @DiscoveryIncTV across social platforms.
