While most individuals connected to Jeffrey Epstein have spent years distancing themselves from the disgraced financier, comedian Jackie “The Jokeman” Martling stands out as a rare exception.
In recently surfaced interviews, Martling openly discusses his friendship with Epstein, seemingly unbothered by the controversy surrounding their association.
“I got to be friends with him. I went to dinner at his house,” Martling casually revealed in one interview, adding that he even returned for another dinner alone with Epstein.
When pressed about what the convicted offender was like, Martling described him as “normal, smart, decent.” Unlike others who have minimized or denied their connections, Martling appears remarkably transparent about the relationship.
Perhaps most startling is Martling’s admission that he knew about Epstein’s legal troubles in Florida involving underage girls. However, he attempted to rationalize this knowledge with a troubling explanation about the difficulty of determining ages in Florida, suggesting this somehow made the situation less concerning.
He stated, “I had heard from the guy that brought me there that he had trouble in Florida with underage girls. But I’ve been to Florida a million times and the underage girls that are 15, they look 25. ”
Martling’s career peaked decades ago when he served as a writer for the Howard Stern Show until 2001. After leaving the program, believing he could achieve greater success independently, his career trajectory declined significantly.
His current claim to recognition appears to be his presence in the Epstein files, where records show Epstein was subscribed to Martling’s joke email newsletter and received regular promotions for his comedy shows.
The files also reveal that several other comedians attended gatherings at Epstein’s properties, including Bobby Slayton, who maintained extensive communication with the financier. Slayton frequently requested to stay at Epstein’s apartment and exchanged numerous messages with him.
Like Martling, Slayton has been relatively open about their friendship, though he maintains he knew nothing about any inappropriate activities.
Nick DiPaolo attended one dinner at Epstein’s residence but appeared to reconsider future interactions. In an email exchange, DiPaolo acknowledged Epstein as “a bit of a controversial guy” and seemed to need time to process whether continued association was appropriate.
Joe Rogan was also approached about meeting Epstein in 2017 through physicist Lawrence Krauss, who appeared on Rogan’s podcast. According to sources close to Rogan, he declined after researching Epstein’s background, questioning why anyone would want to meet with someone with such a history.
The comedian most frequently mentioned in the Epstein files appears to be Woody Allen, whose name surfaces repeatedly in correspondence. One particularly disturbing email from Allen’s wife defended Anthony Weiner after his scandal, placing responsibility on a 15-year-old.
