Ronald Lauder
Estée Lauder heir, businessman, art collector, and president of the World Jewish Congress
Ronald Lauder is an American businessman, heir to the Estée Lauder cosmetics company, art collector, and president of the World Jewish Congress. His name appears more than 900 times in the Epstein files, and documents show Epstein set up a 2014 LLC for Lauder and Leon Black to share ownership of a multimillion-dollar artwork. He has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Ronald Steven Lauder (born February 26, 1944) is an American businessman and heir to The Estée Lauder Companies, the cosmetics company founded by his parents. He is chairman emeritus of Estée Lauder Companies, a prominent art collector and founder of the Neue Galerie in New York, and has served as president of the World Jewish Congress since 2007. He served as U.S. Ambassador to Austria from 1986 to 1987.
According to reporting on the released files, Lauder’s name appears in the Epstein files more than 900 times, and in 2014 Epstein set up a limited liability company for Lauder to share ownership with Leon Black of a $25 million artwork by Kurt Schwitters.
The Daily Pennsylvanian reported on February 11, 2026, that documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice show Lauder “kept in touch with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as recently as 2017.” According to that report, Lauder and Leon Black established Friends Ventures LLC “under the supervision of Epstein” around 2013–2014 and arranged to share a purchased artwork, with Epstein describing the arrangement as “each will use it for 2 years and then the other for 2 etc. until death.” The article states that in February 2017, Epstein’s assistant contacted Lauder’s office about a possible meeting, and that Lauder was scheduled to visit Epstein’s home on February 24, 2017.
Is Ronald Lauder in the Epstein files?
Yes. According to reporting on the released files, Ronald Lauder’s name appears in the files more than 900 times, in connection with a 2014 LLC Epstein helped arrange for Lauder and Leon Black to jointly own a Kurt Schwitters artwork. The Daily Pennsylvanian reported that documents released by the Department of Justice show communications between the two men’s offices as recently as 2017. The Daily Pennsylvanian noted that Lauder “did not respond to a request for comment” and that he “has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein or his crimes.” Being named in the files is not evidence of any crime or wrongdoing; people appear in these documents in many contexts, including correspondence, scheduling, and business or financial arrangements.
Documents
Primary-source records that name or reference Ronald Lauder. Inclusion in these documents is not, by itself, evidence of wrongdoing; per The Daily Pennsylvanian, Lauder has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein or his crimes.
- DOJ Epstein Files (full EFTA release portal) — Per The Daily Pennsylvanian (Feb. 11, 2026), the DOJ release contains documents naming Lauder; his name appears in the files more than 900 times. The records describe Friends Ventures LLC, set up around 2013–2014 under Epstein’s supervision for Lauder and Leon Black to jointly own a $25 million Kurt Schwitters artwork, and correspondence between the two men’s offices as recently as a scheduled February 2017 visit to Epstein’s home.
Connections
View in network →People most often named alongside Ronald Lauder in coverage, plus documented connections. Counts reflect shared articles, not verified relationships.