This guy really looks like Jeffrey Epstein. Meet ‘Palm Beach Pete’
Palm Beach Pete is ruling the Internet.
The South Florida man, who bears more than a striking resemblance to Jeffrey Epstein, was cruising down I-95 in his convertible about a week ago when a passerby whipped out his phone.
Local social media users may have seen the video of Pete, sporting sunglasses and a backward baseball cap, reshared on lifestyle page Only in Dade. The cameraman’s voiceover cryptically says, “Epstein is alive.”
The driver, of course, is not the convicted pedophile who was found dead at age 66 in his cell Aug. 10, 2019, awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. The disgraced financier’s death was ruled suicide by hanging.
As for Palm Beach Pete, the doppelgänger is very much alive and seems to be enjoying the attention. In a recently created Instagram account, which currently boasts about 18,000 followers, he’s made a few videos regarding his newfound infamy. In one, he acknowledges how “crazy” the situation has become, and thanks fans for their support. The silver fox also continuously reiterates for the record that he is not Epstein: “I’m just me.”
In an interview with TMZ, the retired bon vivant, who hasn’t disclosed his last name, shared a little background about himself. He previously worked in New York City commercial real estate, plays a lot of tennis and has kids (number unknown). Pete added he’s no stranger to negative attention, thanks to a cameo on an episode of Season 4 of “The Real Housewives of NYC.”
We dug up the vintage footage from 2011 on YouTube, in which Pete shows up at a party and kisses Sonja Morgan hello. His hair was a lot less gray back then, but the resemblance to Epstein is so uncanny that “Real Housewives” viewers were shook and thought Morgan was consorting with one of the most hated men in America.
On Tuesday night, Pete really hit the big time, appearing remotely on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to applause and cheers.
“Let’s just say if Jeffrey Epstein was alive and I were to point at him and then point at you,” the host cracked. “Those fingers would be pointing in totally different directions, right?”
“No,” quipped Pete. “I’m the better looking guy.”
The guest went on to explain that he was used to getting a “double look” by conspiracy theorists when out and about, but since the I-95 video blew up, it’s on a whole other level.
“Now that I’ve gone viral, it’s nonstop,” Pete said. “They want to take pictures with me, my autograph ... But I’m just Palm Beach Pete, living my life.”
We reached out to the celeb du jour for comment (and more details on himself) but did not immediately hear back.
This story was originally published March 25, 2026 at 12:57 PM.
