Austin Hearst

Auto-generated profile pending review. This entry was compiled from public reporting because Austin Hearst is named in connection with the Epstein files. It has not yet been editorially expanded.

Who Is Austin Hearst?

John Augustine Chilton Hearst — known professionally as Austin Hearst — is the grandson of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst and the son of William Randolph Hearst Jr., who served as editor-in-chief of Hearst Newspapers and chairman of the corporation’s executive committee. Born in 1952, Austin Hearst has been a member of the Hearst Corporation board of directors since 1990 and has held the role of vice president of special projects for Hearst Entertainment & Syndication, the group that manages the company’s interests in cable television networks including ESPN, Lifetime, A&E, and HISTORY. He is also the founder, chairman, and CEO of Chestnut Holdings, a private equity and agricultural development firm.

Hearst Corporation is one of America’s largest privately held media companies, with holdings spanning newspapers, magazines (including Cosmopolitan, Esquire, and Town & Country), cable networks, and digital media. The company has been controlled by the Hearst family trust since William Randolph Hearst built it in the early twentieth century.

Is Austin Hearst in the Epstein Files?

Yes. Emails in the DOJ-released Epstein files, reported by Semafor in February 2026 as part of their investigation into how Epstein sought to rehabilitate his public image after his 2008 criminal conviction, show that Hearst had frequent dinners with Epstein in 2013 — five years after Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to soliciting prostitution from a minor and registered as a sex offender. Epstein also extended an invitation to Hearst to visit his Manhattan townhouse on the Upper East Side, and the two made plans to travel to Harvard together. Semafor noted that staff at Hearst Corporation took note of the frequency with which Hearst dined with Epstein once the files were made public.

No details about the content of their conversations have been reported. No financial relationship between Hearst and Epstein has been documented. No statement has been made publicly by Austin Hearst or Hearst Corporation in response to the files’ release. No wrongdoing is alleged against him.

Context: Epstein’s Strategy With Media Figures

The Semafor investigation placed Hearst’s documented contact in the context of a broader pattern: Epstein systematically cultivated relationships with editors, journalists, media owners, and television personalities in the years following his 2008 conviction, in an apparent effort to restore his social standing and manage his reputation. Other media and publishing figures whose contacts with Epstein were documented in the same investigation included Scientific American editor-in-chief Mariette DiChristina, television anchor Katie Couric, journalist George Stephanopoulos, and author Michael Wolff. Austin Hearst, as a senior figure in one of America’s largest media families, fits within this documented pattern.

What Is Established

The facts documented in the released files are limited but specific: Austin Hearst dined with Jeffrey Epstein on multiple occasions in 2013, was invited to Epstein’s home, and the two planned a joint visit to Harvard. This contact occurred after Epstein’s conviction, guilty plea, and registration as a sex offender. No further details about the nature of their relationship have been reported. Austin Hearst has not been accused of any crime or wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.