LOS ANGELES, February 5, 2024 — Pro skateboarder Tony Hawk is setting the record straight after rumors circulated alleging he tied the knot on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s private island. The claims, fueled by recently unsealed court documents, prompted Hawk to publicly detail his four marriages and debunk the misinformation.
Debunking the Island Rumor
Hawk clarified the timeline of his nuptials, explaining a coincidental name connection sparked the false narrative.
- Hawk has been married four times, none of which took place on Epstein’s island.
- The confusion stemmed from a photographer with the same last name as Jeffrey Epstein who shot his 2006 wedding in Fiji.
- Hawk emphasized the photographer, Mark Epstein, has no relation to the disgraced financier.
- The skateboarder addressed the rumor after being mentioned in an FBI email related to the Epstein case.
“Here are the facts and timelines of my nuptials,” Hawk wrote in an Instagram Story on Thursday, as reported by People. “And I apologize if they don’t fit a narrative of nonsense.” He then proceeded to lay out the details of his marital history.
Hawk first married Cindy Dunbar in Fallbrook, California, in 1990. That union ended in divorce in 1993, after which he wed Erin Lee at a Hilton hotel in San Diego three years later. Following his 2004 split from Lee, Hawk married Lhotse Merriam in 2006, holding their ceremony at Tavarua Surf Island in Fiji. His divorce from Merriam came in 2011, leading to his marriage with Catherine Goodman in 2015 at Adare Manor in Ireland.
The skateboarder explained that the source of the erroneous claim was a guest at his 2006 wedding to Merriam: a photographer named Mark Epstein. “His name is [coincidentally] Mark Epstein,” Hawk stated. “An accomplished action sports photographer from Wyoming and of no relation to Jeffrey Epstein (who I never met and whose island I never visited). This is all easily verifiable information. Facts are not fungible.” He concluded by apologizing to his friend Mark for the “misinformation vortex.”
The Epstein Files and Fallout
The rumors surfaced after the U.S. Department of Justice released the Epstein files last month. Hawk was mentioned in an October 2024 FBI email investigating a potential human trafficking case, with a victim claiming she was brought to Epstein’s island at age 13 and witnessed both Prince Edward and Hawk’s wedding there.
Hawk isn’t the only celebrity caught in the fallout from the released documents. Prince Andrew, J.K. Rowling, and Bill Gates were also named in the legal filings. Gates recently addressed his past association with Epstein, calling it a “huge mistake.”
“Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself. That email was never sent,” Gates, 70, told 9 News Australia on Wednesday, February 4. “The email is false. I don’t know what his thinking was there. Was he trying to attack me in some way? Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologize that I did that.”
If you or someone you know is a human trafficking victim, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
