In the wake of the release of previously sealed court documents related to financier Jeffrey Epstein, social media users have been spreading false accusations about well-known public figures, including late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. Images made to look like snippets from court documents have been shared, falsely implicating Kimmel and Hawking in illicit activities involving Epstein. However, these images were fabricated and not part of the actual released court documents. The false claims surrounding Kimmel and Hawking have gained significant traction on social media platforms.

The fabricated image involving Hawking suggests that Epstein discussed Hawking's “proclivities” and his alleged visits to Epstein's island for pleasure. However, there is no evidence to support these claims in the released court documents. Hawking is mentioned twice in the documents, once in relation to an email from Epstein offering a monetary award to disprove allegations of Hawking's participation in an "underage orgy," and another in a request for Virginia Giuffre to submit any photos or videos of her with various individuals, including Hawking. There is no mention of any “proclivities” in relation to Hawking.

Regarding Kimmel, the false image suggests that he had a sexual encounter with Epstein and that he received multiple massages from an unidentified respondent. However, Kimmel's name does not appear in the released court documents at all. The image claiming to be from page 1,375 of the documents is also misleading, as only 944 pages had been made public at the time the image began circulating.

It is worth noting that many other public figures have been falsely implicated in the released court documents on social media, including Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks, and Elon Musk. However, the documents primarily come from a 2015 lawsuit filed by Giuffre against Epstein's former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. The names mentioned in the documents were already public knowledge and include Epstein's accusers, individuals who worked for Epstein, witnesses in Maxwell's trial, and individuals who investigated Epstein.

The release of the court documents has generated significant hype, with social media users speculating that the records would expose a list of Epstein's wealthy and powerful associates. However, the initial collection of around 40 documents largely contained previously released or extensively covered material. The documents did mention Epstein's past associations with figures like Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew, but these mentions do not imply any wrongdoing on their part.

The documents being unsealed are connected to a lawsuit filed by Giuffre, who is one of the many women who accused Epstein of abuse. Her lawsuit against Maxwell was settled in 2017, but some court documents remained sealed to protect the privacy rights of victims and other individuals involved in the legal battle. Only a fraction of these documents, around 40, were made public on Wednesday, with more expected to be released in the coming days.

Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, and Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison term for her involvement in Epstein's crimes.

In conclusion, the false accusations circulating on social media about well-known public figures being implicated in wrongdoing by the recently released court documents related to Jeffrey Epstein are unfounded. The images shared to support these claims were fabricated and not part of the actual released court documents. The released documents primarily pertain to a lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre against Ghislaine Maxwell and do not contain any evidence of the alleged activities involving the falsely implicated public figures.