'This Is Fake': Prison Video Of Ghislaine Maxwell Sparks Body Double Conspiracy Theories

Last Updated:February 17, 2026, 07:38 IST

Social media users dissected Ghislaine Maxwell's appearance, posting side-by-side comparisons with photographs taken before her 2020 arrest.

A prison deposition video showing Ghislaine Maxwell invoking her Fifth Amendment rights triggered a wave of online speculation that the woman on screen is not Maxwell at all but a body double. The footage, released last week by the US House Oversight Committee, shows Maxwell appearing remotely from federal prison in February 2026. During the brief deposition, she repeatedly declined to answer questions about her connection to Jeffrey Epstein and her 2021 sex-trafficking conviction.

Read more: ‘I Have Nothing To Hide’: Trump Denies Epstein Links, Says He Was ‘Totally Exonerated’

Within hours of the video’s release, social media users began dissecting her appearance, posting side-by-side comparisons with photographs taken before her 2020 arrest. Some claimed to identify “massive differences" in facial structure. Others alleged outright deception.

“Not only Jeffrey Epstein is not dead, but Ghislaine Maxwell is not in prison," read one widely shared post on X (formerly Twitter). “The woman picture left is clearly not Ghislaine Maxwell. This is fake"

Claims Focus On Appearance Changes

Much of the speculation centered on perceived alterations to Maxwell’s face- a broader jawline, a different nose shape, more hooded eyes. Some users attributed the changes to aging or weight gain in prison. Others went further, insisting the woman in the video was a stand-in.

“Prison seems to have butched up Ghislaine Maxwell. She now has a new jaw-bone and a new nose," one user wrote. Another claimed the footage proved both Maxwell and Epstein are alive “in some remote tropical location under the Protection of the CIA."

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The theories also fixated on camera quality, lighting and angles, with users questioning whether standard prison conditions could account for such visible differences.

No Evidence Supports Claims

Public records confirm that Maxwell, now 63, has been in federal custody since her arrest in July 2020. She is currently serving a 20-year sentence at a low-security facility in Florida following her conviction on charges of trafficking underage girls for sexual abuse.

The reaction to Maxwell’s deposition fits into a well-established pattern of conspiracy theories surrounding the Epstein case. Since Epstein’s death in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019- ruled a suicide by the New York City medical examiner- social media users have promoted narratives alleging he faked his death, was murdered to protect powerful associates or remains alive in hiding.

News world 'This Is Fake': Prison Video Of Ghislaine Maxwell Sparks Body Double Conspiracy Theories

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