Brett Ratner

Brett Ratner (born March 28, 1969) is an American film director and producer. He is known for the Rush Hour film series, The Family Man, Red Dragon, X-Men: The Last Stand, Tower Heist, and Hercules. More recently, according to Deadline, he directed the Amazon MGM Studios documentary Melania, focused on First Lady Melania Trump in the days before the 2025 inauguration.

Ratner’s connection to the Jeffrey Epstein record stems from photographs released as part of the Epstein files. According to reporting on the released files, a photo released in December 2025 showed Ratner posing with Jean-Luc Brunel, an associate of Epstein, and further images released in January 2026 showed Ratner with Epstein and young women. Fox News reported in February 2026 that documents released by the Department of Justice included “an image of Ratner with his arm around an unidentified woman sitting next to Epstein,” in a photo also described as showing Ratner, Epstein, and Brunel alongside several women whose identities have not been disclosed.

Ratner has publicly disputed any relationship with Epstein. He told Fox News Digital that the photograph was taken roughly 20 years ago at an event he attended with the woman, whom he described as his fiancée at the time: “We went to an event, and we were sitting on the couch, and the photo was taken at that event.” He added, “I didn’t have a personal relationship with him. I didn’t know him,” and called the speculation “crazy” and “horrible.” Deadline reported that “there is no suggestion that his inclusion in the Epstein files means Ratner was aware of the financier’s wrongdoing.”

Is Brett Ratner in the Epstein files?

Brett Ratner appears in the public Epstein record through photographs released as part of the Epstein files in late 2025 and early 2026 that show him with Jeffrey Epstein, Epstein associate Jean-Luc Brunel, and unidentified women, as documented by Fox News and Deadline. Ratner has said he did not know Epstein and did not have a personal relationship with him, and reporting notes there is no suggestion his inclusion means he was aware of Epstein’s wrongdoing.

Being named or appearing in connection with the files is not evidence of any crime or wrongdoing. People appear in this record in many contexts — flight logs, correspondence, contact books, scheduling, photographs, or passing references. See the sources above for the specific, documented context, and the note at the bottom of this page.

Documents

Primary-source records that reference Brett Ratner. Inclusion in these documents is not, by itself, evidence of wrongdoing; Ratner has said he did not know Epstein and had no personal relationship with him, and reporting notes there is no suggestion his inclusion means he was aware of Epstein’s wrongdoing.

• DOJ Epstein Files (EFTA release portal) — A batch of Epstein records released by the Justice Department in early 2026 included a photograph showing Ratner with his arm around an unidentified woman seated next to Epstein, per Fox News and Snopes. Ratner says the photo was taken roughly 20 years ago at an event he attended with his then-fiancée. Reporting indicates his name also appears in released correspondence in which Epstein appears to attempt to contact him in December 2010.