Five Epstein Survivors, One Room: What They Said to the BBC — and What It Reveals About the Files That Weren't Released

The Interview

BBC Newsnight presenter Victoria Derbyshire gathered five Epstein survivors — Joanna Harrison, Chauntae Davies, Jena-Lisa Jones, Wendy Pesante, and Lisa Phillips — together in the same room for what the BBC described as the first time. The hours-long discussion aired Wednesday, March 25, 2026, and was published by BBC News. (Source: BBC News, March 25, 2026)

The five women recounted abuse at Epstein's properties, including his private island Little St James and his New Mexico ranch. They said they believed the powerful figures who Epstein associated with would most likely have known what was going on. (Source: BBC News, March 25, 2026)

Note: This article contains descriptions of sexual abuse. All accounts below are sourced to the BBC Newsnight interview published March 25, 2026.

Joanna Harrison: The Survivor Who Never Wanted the Files Released

Joanna Harrison told BBC Newsnight she never intended to go public with her abuse — and specifically never wanted the DOJ to release its files, fearing she would lose her anonymity. The government's release of millions of documents related to Epstein investigations failed, in some cases, to properly redact the identities of his victims. Harrison was among those whose names were inadvertently made public.

"It's not normal to see your abuser's face every day for six years on TV," Harrison said.

She recounted meeting Epstein in Florida when she was 18, saying everything began with a massage. "Everything seemed normal," Harrison said. "When he began to masturbate, I completely froze. I don't think I said two words in the car in the ride home."

On speaking publicly for the first time despite her reluctance, Harrison said: "It gets to a point where you're being suffocated and you need to breathe, and I feel this is my way of trying to breathe."

Speaking about justice: "I have questions I'll never get an answer to." (Source: BBC News, March 25, 2026)

Chauntae Davies: The Photos From the Private Plane

Chauntae Davies shared what the BBC described as never-before-seen images from her time travelling with Epstein on his private plane on a trip to Africa. The photographs included Epstein's co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as actor Kevin Spacey and former President Bill Clinton. The BBC reported that Spacey and Clinton were travelling on a humanitarian trip to promote AIDS prevention.

Davies described the trip in her own words: "I described it in my journal at the time as the most eclectic group of people that you could put together... it was almost like a camp feel because you were travelling to five different countries in five days." On the plane, she said, they ate snacks, played cards and told stories.

"It was very much a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and unfortunately, it had to be tainted by what was happening behind closed doors," she said.

Davies said she was raped by Epstein on his private island after being hired to give him massages. She told the BBC she gave Clinton a neck and back massage at an airport in Portugal while the plane refuelled, and said she wrote in her journal at the time that the former president was "humble, kind and charismatic."

The BBC reported that Bill Clinton was asked about his interaction with Davies when he appeared for a deposition before the US House Oversight Committee in February 2026. He told the committee he wished Davies had told him about Epstein's wrongdoing. (Source: BBC News, March 25, 2026)

Lisa Phillips and the UK Arrests

Survivor Lisa Phillips called on UK police to speak with her about what she knows — specifically referencing alleged Mountbatten-Windsor involvement, according to BBC Pidgin's coverage of the Newsnight interview. (Source: BBC Pidgin, March 25, 2026)

Her call comes in the context of two significant UK arrests. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over his connections to Epstein, and Lord Peter Mandelson — the former UK ambassador to the United States — was arrested on the same grounds on February 23, 2026, according to CNBC and PBS News. Both were subsequently released under investigation. Neither has been charged. (Sources: CNBC, February 23, 2026; PBS News; BBC, March 25, 2026)

Both Mountbatten-Windsor and Mandelson have denied wrongdoing. Mandelson has let it be known that he believes he has not acted criminally, did not act for personal gain, and is co-operating with police, according to the BBC. (Source: BBC, March 25, 2026)

Congressman Massie: "Men Need to Be Perp-Walked"

Republican Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky, one of the most vocal members of Congress on the Epstein files, responded to the Newsnight interview with a pointed statement to the BBC.

Massie told the BBC: "Men need to be perp-walked in handcuffs to the jail, and until we see that here in this country... we don't have a system of justice that's working."

He said he was "not satisfied until the survivors are satisfied." (Source: BBC News, March 25, 2026)

Massie — who co-wrote the law that compelled the DOJ to release its Epstein files, which was ultimately signed by President Trump — has alleged that some files have been redacted improperly. He said the UK was "the only place that we're seeing arrests," calling it "ironic that [the US] thought we could have more justice by becoming independent from Britain."

When asked whether the DOJ should share unredacted Epstein material with London's Metropolitan Police for use in its own investigations, Massie responded: "They absolutely should, and from what I've read, it sounds like they are sharing that." (Source: BBC News, March 25, 2026)

The Files: What Was and Wasn't Released

The DOJ has released millions of Epstein-related documents in a series of drops. In the largest release, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced on January 30, 2026 the release of more than three million pages of Epstein materials — with approximately 200,000 pages redacted or withheld due to the presence of personal medical files, graphic depictions of child abuse, material protected by attorney-client privilege, or other legally exempt material, according to Politico and the New York Times. Attorney General Pam Bondi said no records had been withheld on "the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm." (Sources: Politico, January 30, 2026; New York Times, January 30, 2026; BBC News, March 25, 2026)

Massie, who has viewed the unredacted files alongside other US lawmakers, has disputed that characterization, alleging some improper redactions. The DOJ has maintained that it has released all of its files other than items permitted to be exempt under the law. (Source: BBC News, March 25, 2026)

Separately, British authorities have formally sought the cooperation of the US Department of Justice as they pursue investigations arising from the UK's own probe, according to Politico, which reported this development on March 18, 2026. (Source: Politico, March 18, 2026)

Why It Matters Now

The BBC Newsnight interview is notable for several reasons beyond its immediate content. It is the first time these five survivors have appeared together. At least one of them — Harrison — was outed against her will by the document release process, turning a mechanism designed to provide accountability into a source of additional harm for a victim. The photographs shared by Davies are described as never previously published.

The Massie-BBC exchange crystallizes what has become a transatlantic accountability asymmetry: the United Kingdom — which has significantly less formal investigative authority over Epstein's US-based conduct — has arrested two named individuals. The United States, which has the bulk of the evidence and the legal jurisdiction, has charged no one with a name since Epstein's 2019 arrest and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell's 2022 conviction.

Whether that asymmetry reflects the limits of current evidence, deliberate prosecutorial restraint, or something else is contested and cannot be determined from publicly available information.