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The 18 Best Hair Growth Shampoos in 2024 on November 26, 2023 at 5:00 am Us Weekly

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Hair loss is one of the most common issues affecting Americans today. According to medical experts, hair loss can affect both men and women for a number of reasons. While it is normal to shed a certain amount of hair each day, some individuals lose more than others.
For many who deal with thinning hair or hair loss, it can be difficult to find good products to use consistently to treat those issues. But there is good news. As of 2023, several companies offer hair care products and shampoos specifically for those who are impacted by hair loss.
Symptoms of Hair Loss
There are several symptoms you may experience if you deal with hair loss issues. You might first notice a few bald patches on the scalp or that your hairline has begun receding. Other signs of hair loss include a widening part on the scalp, increased scalp itching, or an increased build-up of hair in your shower or sink drains.
According to medical experts, many people with hair loss have loose hair – hair that easily falls out when combed or brushed. If you notice an increased accumulation of hair on your combs or brushes each day, your hair may be slowly falling out.
What Causes Hair Loss?
Several factors can lead to hair loss. Genetics plays a major role in dealing with hair loss. It is a hereditary issue for some, meaning it’s passed down from someone in the family. Some people are more predisposed to losing hair as they age, while for others, hair loss issues may stem from lifestyle choices. Other factors that could impact hair loss are:
Diet
Drugs/medications
Stress levels
Hormone changes
Childbirth
Surgeries
Thyroid disease
Cancer treatment
Autoimmune conditions
Scalp psoriasis or dermatitis
Excessive washing of the hair
Constantly rubbing or touching the hair and scalp
Too much tension on the hair
Diagnosing Hair Loss
If you are concerned about your hair and wondering if you have hair loss, visit a doctor or medical professional. Doctors can use a number of methods to treat hair loss. They may ask about your medical history and perform a physical exam.
Different tests like a blood test or pull test can be done to determine your hair’s strength levels. Pull tests involve pulling a few hair strands to see how easily they fall out. Blood tests will reveal if you have any underlying health issues that could be impacting your hair growth or loss.
Occasionally, a doctor will have a patient undergo a punch biopsy, which involves penetrating the scalp, removing a skin sample, and then observing it to determine the diagnosis. The method used will depend on the medical professional’s opinion and the severity of the hair loss symptoms.
Treating Hair Loss
Hair loss can be treated in several ways. One way is by taking medication prescribed by a doctor. At-home treatment options are also available. A popular hair-loss treatment plan that many people use is Rogaine. This product can be directly applied to the scalp a few times a week to stimulate hair growth and reduce the chance of future hair loss.
Other treatment options include a hair transplant, micro-needling, corticosteroid injections on the scalp, laser therapy, or platelet-rich plasma injections in the blood. These methods work in different ways to treat the hair. If you suffer from hair loss, it’s recommended that you go over the various treatment options with a doctor to learn more about which would be best for you.
Ingredients to Look For in Hair Growth Shampoos
When looking to increase your hair growth, look for products that include these ingredients:
Caffeine
Biotin
Green tea
Niacin
Iron
Zinc
Collagen
Saw palmetto
Pumpkin seed oil
Redensyl
These ingredients often show up in products aimed at stimulating hair growth. Many of them have a proven track record of helping individuals grow or regrow their hair.
Ingredients to Avoid
There are also a few ingredients that should be avoided if you are wanting to grow your hair or reduce hair thinning. A few of them are listed below:
Sulfates
Parabens
Alcohol
Silicones
Sodium chloride
Coal tar
Mineral oil
Diethanolamine
Formaldehyde
Synthetic fragrances
Propylene glycol
Several studies show that these ingredients can be harmful to the hair or scalp. If you suffer from hair loss and notice these ingredients on any products that you use, it might be best to get rid of those products and purchase new ones.
Medical experts recommend you avoid using products with these ingredients, as they increase the risk of hair loss. These ingredients can exacerbate the issue if you already deal with hair loss.
Does Hair Growth Shampoo Work?
Many people swear by hair growth shampoos and other similar haircare products. The shampoos can work for you, but you will likely have better results if you find the best product for your specific hair type. Though many of these shampoos have the same goal of stimulating hair growth, the effect on your hair can vary due to several different factors.
It’s important to remember that hair growth can be affected by illness, genetics, diet, stress levels, aging, and overall health. According to medical experts, those who consume alcohol or smoke regularly might be more prone to hair loss.
Best Hair Growth Shampoos
If you struggle with hair loss, plenty of shampoos are available to help you out. We’ve put together a list of the 18 best hair growth shampoos in 2023 that are proven to provide positive results after consistent use.
1. Blu Atlas Classic Shampoo
Vegan | 96%-100% naturally derived | Cruelty-free
Standout ingredients: Aloe barbadensis leaf, saw palmetto, vegan biotin, jojoba oil
Coming in first place is the Blu Atlas Classic Shampoo. This product rids the scalp of impurities and dirt. It’s formulated with jojoba oil, saw palmetto, vegan biotin, and aloe barbadensis leaf. Together, these key ingredients work to moisturize and hydrate the hair while removing excess oils.
This product is ideal for anyone looking for a gentle, cleansing, hydrating shampoo. It’s ideal for anyone dealing with hair loss, as it provides a deep cleanse at the hair root, which stimulates growth over time.
The vegan, cruelty-free shampoo is also free of artificial fragrances. Its ingredients are 98% naturally-derived, making it one of the healthiest shampoo options on the market. The product has tons of positive reviews online. Many people have shared that the shampoo left their hair feeling healthy, cleansed, and moisturized.
2. Vegamour Gro Revitalizing Shampoo for Thinning Hair
Vegan | Sulfate-free | Paraben-free
Standout ingredients: Karmatin, marula oil, baobab oil, aloe vera, bergamot fruit oil
Vegamour’s Gro Revitalizing Shampoo for Thinning Hair restores dry, damaged hair to a healthy state and encourages hair growth. It’s developed with ingredients that help the hair retain moisture after washing.
Karmatin, a form of keratin, soothes the hair and protects it from becoming damaged. Marula, baobab, bergamot fruit, and lemon peel oils provide lasting moisture to the hair. Aloe vera – along with other ingredients – aids in nourishing and hydrating both the hair and the scalp.
Free of sulfates and parabens, this vegan shampoo is suitable for all hair types. It’s ideal for anyone wanting to cleanse their hair and increase hair growth without completely stripping away natural oils and moisture.
3. Pura D’or Original Gold Label Anti-Thinning Biotin Shampoo
Paraben-free | Silicone-free | Sulfate-free
Standout ingredients: Saw palmetto, argan oil, tea tree oil, vitamin E oil
Pura D’or’s Anti Hair-Thinning Biotin Shampoo is developed with an aloe vera-based formula. This shampoo is one of the healthier hair care products to choose from to treat hair loss. It’s free of parabens, gluten, silicones, sulfates, and other chemicals that could negatively impact hair health.
A few of the key ingredients in this shampoo are saw palmetto and argan, tea tree, and vitamin E oils. These ingredients moisturize, nourish, and revitalize dingy, dull hair strands from the root down. This hypoallergenic, cruelty-free product is best for anyone looking to increase hydration levels, stimulate new hair growth, and prevent future breakage or split ends.
4. Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo
Sulfate-free | Gluten-free | Paraben-free
Standout ingredients: Sunflower seed extract, citric acid
The Olaplex No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo also makes the list of the 18 best hair growth shampoos in 2023. This shampoo is infused with sunflower seed extract, citric acid, and other ingredients that hydrate, moisturize, and strengthen the hair.
According to the Olaplex website, this product nourishes damaged hair, boosts hair volume, prevents breakage, and repairs split ends. It’s ideal for anyone looking to treat hair loss. The shampoo penetrates the scalp deeply, which stimulates the hair roots and strands and promotes growth.
The Olaplex No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo is one of the healthiest hair care products to use. It has rave reviews online, with many people sharing they saw a positive change in their hair after using the product consistently. The shampoo is free of sulfates, parabens, gluten, and silicones. It can be used daily and is suitable for all hair types and textures.
5. Moerie Mineral Shampoo
Non-GMO | Vegan | Cruelty-free
Standout ingredients: Orange extract, biotin, caffeine, fulvic acid
Also making the list of the 18 best hair growth shampoos in 2023 is the Moerie Mineral Shampoo. This product is unique in that it includes 18 amino acids and more than 70 different minerals in its formula. It’s infused with orange extract, which aids in providing a light, pleasant natural scent to the shampoo.
Other ingredients like caffeine and biotin stimulate hair growth naturally. The shampoo is also developed with fulvic acid, which delivers much-needed nutrients to hair follicles and cells.
As one of the healthier shampoo options on the market, this non-GMO shampoo is vegan and free of silicones, parabens, artificial fragrances, and sulfates. Moerie’s Mineral Shampoo will cleanse your hair follicles and scalp of toxic chemicals, excess oils, and dirt. It will also keep the hair moisturized long after use due to its unique blend of moisturizing and hydrating ingredients.
6. Not Your Mother’s Way to Grow Long & Strong Shampoo
Silicone-free | Vegan | Paraben-free
Standout ingredients: Keratin, citric acid, biotin
The Not Your Mother’s Way To Grow Long and Strong Shampoo is formulated to help stimulate and grow hair. This product is developed with a blend of biotin, keratin, and vitamin B5. The ingredients work to cleanse, nourish, and rejuvenate the hair. This product is best for anyone wanting to increase shine and volume while also getting a deep cleanse at the root of the hair.
The vegan shampoo is free of silicones and parabens. Reviewers online have left hundreds of positive comments about the Not Your Mother’s Way To Grow Long and Strong Shampoo, noting that it strengthened their hair and helped it grow.
7. Marc Anthony Biotin Grow Long Shampoo
Sulfate-free | Paraben-free | Phthalate-free
Standout ingredients: Ginseng, Vitamin E, caffeine, biotin
Marc Anthony’s Biotin Grow Long Shampoo promises to help you grow out your locks. The shampoo is developed with key ingredients like biotin, caffeine, ginseng, and vitamin E. These ingredients hydrate the hair, boost elasticity, and stimulate new hair growth. The cleanser has an anti-breakage formula that nourishes the hair, strengthens it, and leaves it feeling soft and silky.
This cruelty-free shampoo is not tested on animals, and it’s also free of sulfates, parabens, and phthalates. Marc Anthony’s Biotin Grow Long Shampoo can be used several times a week to remove buildup from the hair and scalp. Using a Marc Anthony conditioner alongside this product is recommended for the best results.
This product is great for anyone dealing with hair loss, as several of the key ingredients treat the hair from the root, which can result in increased growth of the hair follicles.
8. Garnier Fructis Grow Strong Shampoo
Vegan | Paraben-free | Cruelty-free
Standout ingredients: Apple extract, niacinamide
The Garnier Fructis Grow Strong Shampoo also makes the list of the 18 best hair growth shampoos in 2023. The vegan, cruelty-free shampoo is made with a variety of hair-nourishing ingredients like vitamins B3 and B6, citrus protein, and apple extract. The ingredients moisturize the hair follicles and scalp, while ingredients like niacinamide strengthen the hair strands.
The Garnier Fructis Grow Strong Shampoo has an anti-breakage formula that rejuvenates damaged hair and prevents future breakage from occurring. This shampoo is ideal for anyone wanting to stimulate new hair growth, reduce hair loss, and boost the hair’s overall shine.
9. OGX Thick & Full + Biotin & Collagen Volumizing Shampoo
Sulfate-free | Paraben-free | Gluten-free
Standout ingredients: Biotin, collagen, vanilla, bergamot
The OGX Thick & Full + Biotin & Collagen Volumizing Shampoo is a great product for anyone wanting to grow a thicker, fuller head of hair. This product has several standout ingredients like collagen, protein, and biotin, which are vital in stimulating and promoting hair growth. The shampoo is formulated with a pleasant scent of vanilla, bergamot, and jasmine.
This product is free of sulfates, parabens, and gluten. Many reviewers online have shared that the shampoo had a positive impact on their previously-thinning hair. If you’re looking for a cleansing shampoo that will boost your hair’s volume and shine, try out the OGX Thick & Full + Biotin & Collagen Volumizing Shampoo.
10. Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Shampoo
Fragrance-free | Paraben-free | Sulfate-free
Standout ingredients: Shea butter, Jamaican black castor oil, apple cider vinegar
Shea Moisture’s Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen and Restore Shampoo cleanses and nourishes the hair and scalp. This shampoo deeply cleanses and moisturizes the hair and is formulated with key ingredients apple cider vinegar, shea butter, and Jamaican black castor oil. The unique blend of shea butter and oils work to strengthen damaged hair, which results in a reduction of breakage and a boost in overall hair growth.
Shea Moisture’s Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen and Restore Shampoo is paraben-free, sulfate-free, and free of artificial fragrances. This product is marketed toward those with damaged, heat-styled, chemically processed, and natural hair textures – but it’s suitable for all hair types from curly to frizzy to wavy.
11. Mielle Organics Pomegranate & Honey Moisturizing and Detangling Shampoo
Paraben-free | Sulfate-free | Cruelty-free
Standout ingredients: Honey, babassu oil, ginger, avocado
Mielle’s Pomegranate and Honey Moisturizing and Detangling Shampoo works to remove buildup, oils, and dirt from the scalp and hair strands. This cruelty-free product is also free of harsh chemicals like parabens, sulfates, and mineral oil. It’s developed with standout ingredients honey, ginger, avocado, and babassu oil. The ingredients moisturize and hydrate the hair while gently cleansing it.
The Mielle Pomegranate and Honey Moisturizing and Detangling Shampoo is primarily marketed toward those with thick, frizzy, curly, or dry hair, but it’s suitable for all hair types. According to the shampoo brand’s website, the product helps boost the hair’s volume level and elevates the appearance of color-treated hair.
Rejuvenate and restore your hair to its healthiest state by applying this shampoo several times a week. Use one of Mielle’s conditioners alongside this product for the best results.
12. Grow Gorgeous Intense Thickening Shampoo
Vegan | Cruelty-free | Sulfate-free
Standout ingredients: Biotin, caffeine, rice protein
The Grow Gorgeous Intense Thickening Shampoo cleanses the hair and promotes growth. It’s formulated with biotin, protein, and caffeine, all of which stimulate the roots and hair strands. This vegan product is free of harsh ingredients, so the formula has no sulfates, parabens, or silicones. This shampoo is recommended for anyone looking to clear their hair of dirt and excess oils, boost hair volume levels, and moisturize the hair.
13. Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Shampoo
Vegan | Sulfate-free | Paraben-free
Standout ingredients: Tea tree oil, peppermint oil, notes of lavender
The Tea Tree Special Shampoo also makes the list of the 18 best hair growth shampoos in 2023. This product is developed with tea tree and peppermint oils to deeply penetrate the scalp and provide a deep cleanse – removing excess oils, dirt, and build-up.
This product strengthens hair follicles and stimulates new growth during its cleansing process. The shampoo also provides a lot of moisture and hydration, which treats damaged hair and prevents breakage.
The cruelty-free shampoo is vegan and free of sulfates and parabens. Many customers have shared that the shampoo helped them treat dandruff and other dermatitis issues on the scalp. Several people have also mentioned that the product has a pleasant smell.
According to the brand’s website, the product is formulated with notes of lavender. Tea Tree’s Special Shampoo can be used several times a week to treat and cleanse the hair. It’s suitable for all hair types, including color-treated hair.
14. Vanicream Shampoo for Sensitive Skin
Fragrance-free | Paraben-free | Sulfate-free
Standout ingredients: Purified water, glycerin
Vanicream’s Shampoo for Sensitive Skin is dermatologist-tested and specifically formulated to restore the hair. This product is very cleansing, making it ideal to use if you’re wanting to stimulate hair growth. The product is free of fragrances, dyes, sulfates, parabens, lanolin, and other chemicals that can be harmful to the hair or scalp.
This product helps to control scalp itchiness and reduce build-up from hairsprays, conditioners, and other hair styling products. Vanicream’s Shampoo for Sensitive Skin has rave reviews online, with many people sharing that it has helped them manage an itchy or irritated scalp.
15. Brigeo Destined For Density Peptide Shampoo for Thicker, Fuller Hair
Silicone-free | Dye-free | Paraben-free
Standout ingredients: Copper peptides, biotin, energy complex
Brigeo’s Destined for Destiny Shampoo combines several ingredients to nourish the hair and help it grow. The product is formulated with caffeine, biotin, peptide, and a unique energy complex. The ingredients work together to cleanse, hydrate, and moisturize the hair. Caffeine is key in stimulating hair growth from the root and proving antioxidants, while biotin improves the hair’s elasticity and strengthens it.
Free of parabens, dye, and silicones, this is one of the healthier shampoos to choose from. If you’re looking to stimulate hair growth, give Brigeo’s Destined for Destiny Shampoo a try.
16. Nexxus Clean & Pure Shampoo
Dye-free | Paraben-free | Silicone-free
Standout ingredients: Sea salt, coconut oil, hydrolyzed wheat protein
The Nexxus Clean & Pure Shampoo is another great product for anyone looking to grow their hair. This clarifying shampoo cleanses the scalp, wiping away dirt, grime, and excess oils. It’s formulated with sea salt, coconut oil, and hydrolyzed wheat oil. The ingredients cleanse, moisturize, and hydrate the hair. This product also strengthens the hair strands, which can increase hair growth over time.
The Nexxus Clean & Pure Shampoo is free of harsh chemicals like dyes, parabens, and silicones, making it an ideal choice for anyone wanting to use a healthy product. This product is safe for everyday use and is suitable for all hair types.
According to several reviewers, the shampoo has a pleasant floral scent. Many people have shared that this product is a great clarifying shampoo that provides a high level of long-lasting moisture.
17. Nioxin Cleanser Shampoo
Paraben-free | Colorant-free | Sulfate-free
Standout ingredients: Aloe vera, peppermint oil, grapefruit peel extract
Remove toxins and build-up from your hair with the Nioxin Cleanser Shampoo. This product is part of a hair cleanser set, but it can be used alone. It’s one of the healthiest shampoos on the market and can be used regularly to increase hair growth and strengthen hair strands from the root down.
The shampoo is formulated with standout ingredients like peppermint oil, aloe vera, and grapefruit peel extract. These ingredients soothe the itchiness of the scalp, remove excess dirt, and moisturize the hair.
Specifically formulated for those with sensitive skin, the Nioxin Cleanser Shampoo is ideal for anyone dealing with thinning hair, loss of hair, or irritable scalps. The cleansing shampoo is free of parabens, silicones, colorants, and sulfates. Daily use of this product is recommended for best results.
18. Revivahair Growth Stimulating & Anti Hair Loss Shampoo
Cruelty-free | Non-GMO | Paraben-free
Standout ingredients: Argan oil, vitamin B, keratin, biotin
Purebiology’s RevivaHair Growth Stimulating & Anti-Hair Loss Shampoo lives up to its name. Its standout ingredients biotin, keratin, argan oil, and vitamins B and E all contribute to hair growth. This shampoo is vegan and cruelty-free, and it’s free of parabens, GMOs, sulfates, and other harsh chemicals. If you’re looking for a product that will give your hair a deep, hydrating cleanse, then you should consider using this shampoo.
According to the brand’s website, this shampoo will boost natural hair regrowth, prevent breakage, and nourish damaged hair with split ends. Purebiology’s Revivahair Growth Stimulating & Anti-Hair Loss Shampoo also helps to treat alopecia and thinning hair and prevents future hair loss. This product is safe for all hair types and can be used several times a week.
As you can see by our list, there are a variety of shampoos that are available to get you started on your hair growth or regrowth journey. Though the shampoos listed above all have great reviews, consulting with a doctor for guidance would be beneficial for anyone looking to treat hair loss on a long-term basis.
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Branded content. Us Weekly has affiliate partnerships so we may receive compensation for some links to products and services. Hair loss is one of the most common issues affecting Americans today. According to medical experts, hair loss can affect both men and women for a number of reasons. While it is normal to shed a
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Business
How Epstein’s Cash Shaped Artists, Agencies, and Algorithms

Jeffrey Epstein’s money did more than buy private jets and legal leverage. It flowed into the same ecosystem that decides which artists get pushed to the front, which research gets labeled “cutting edge,” and which stories about race and power are treated as respectable debate instead of hate speech. That doesn’t mean he sat in a control room programming playlists. It means his worldview seeped into institutions that already shape what we hear, see, and believe.
The Gatekeepers and Their Stains
The fallout around Casey Wasserman is a vivid example of how this works. Wasserman built a powerhouse talent and marketing agency that controls a major slice of sports, entertainment, and the global touring business. When the Epstein files revealed friendly, flirtatious exchanges between Wasserman and Ghislaine Maxwell, and documented his ties to Epstein’s circle, artists and staff began to question whose money and relationships were quietly underwriting their careers.

That doesn’t prove Epstein “created” any particular star. But it shows that a man deeply entangled with Epstein was sitting at a choke point: deciding which artists get representation, which tours get resources, which festivals and campaigns happen. In an industry built on access and favor, proximity to someone like Epstein is not just gossip; it signals which values are tolerated at the top.
When a gatekeeper with that history sits between artists and the public, “the industry” stops being an abstract machine and starts looking like a web of human choices — choices that, for years, were made in rooms where Epstein’s name wasn’t considered a disqualifier.
Funding Brains, Not Just Brands

Epstein’s interest in culture didn’t end with celebrity selfies. He was obsessed with the science of brains, intelligence, and behavior — and that’s where his money begins to overlap with how audiences are modeled and, eventually, how algorithms are trained.
He cultivated relationships with scientists at elite universities and funded research into genomics, cognition, and brain development. In one high‑profile case, a UCLA professor specializing in music and the brain corresponded with Epstein for years and accepted funding for an institute focused on how music affects neural circuits. On its face, that looks like straightforward philanthropy. Put it next to his email trail and a different pattern appears.
Epstein’s correspondence shows him pushing eugenics and “race science” again and again — arguing that genetic differences explain test score gaps between Black and white people, promoting the idea of editing human beings under the euphemism of “genetic altruism,” and surrounding himself with thinkers who entertained those frames. One researcher in his orbit described Black children as biologically better suited to running and hunting than to abstract thinking.
So you have a financier who is:
- Funding brain and behavior research.
- Deeply invested in ranking human groups by intelligence.
- Embedded in networks that shape both scientific agendas and cultural production.
None of that proves a specific piece of music research turned into a specific Spotify recommendation. But it does show how his ideology was given time, money, and legitimacy in the very spaces that define what counts as serious knowledge about human minds.

How Ideas Leak Into Algorithms
There is another layer that is easier to see: what enters the knowledge base that machines learn from.
Fringe researchers recently misused a large U.S. study of children’s genetics and brain development to publish papers claiming racial hierarchies in IQ and tying Black people’s economic outcomes to supposed genetic deficits. Those papers then showed up as sources in answers from large AI systems when users asked about race and intelligence. Even after mainstream scientists criticized the work, it had already entered both the academic record and the training data of systems that help generate and rank content.
Epstein did not write those specific papers, but he funded the kind of people and projects that keep race‑IQ discourse alive inside elite spaces. Once that thinking is in the mix, recommendation engines and search systems don’t have to be explicitly racist to reproduce it. They simply mirror what’s in their training data and what has been treated as “serious” research.
Zoomed out, the pipeline looks less like a neat conspiracy and more like an ecosystem:
- Wealthy men fund “edgy” work on genes, brains, and behavior.
- Some of that work revives old racist ideas with new data and jargon.
- Those studies get scraped, indexed, and sometimes amplified by AI systems.
- The same platforms host and boost music, video, and news — making decisions shaped by engagement patterns built on biased narratives.
The algorithm deciding what you see next is standing downstream from all of this.
The Celebrity as Smoke Screen
Epstein’s contact lists are full of directors, actors, musicians, authors, and public intellectuals. Many now insist they had no idea what he was doing. Some probably didn’t; others clearly chose not to ask. From Epstein’s perspective, the value of those relationships is obvious.
Being seen in orbit around beloved artists and cultural figures created a reputational firewall. If the public repeatedly saw him photographed with geniuses, Oscar winners, and hit‑makers, their brains filed him under “eccentric patron” rather than “dangerous predator.”
That softens the landing for his ideas, too. Race science sounds less toxic when it’s discussed over dinner at a university‑backed salon or exchanged in emails with a famous thinker.
The more oxygen is spent on the celebrity angle — who flew on which plane, who sat at which dinner — the less attention is left for what may matter more in the long run: the way his money and ideology were welcomed by institutions that shape culture and knowledge.

What to Love, Who to Fear
The point is not to claim that Jeffrey Epstein was secretly programming your TikTok feed or hand‑picking your favorite rapper. The deeper question is what happens when a man with his worldview is allowed to invest in the people and institutions that decide:
- Which artists are “marketable.”
- Which scientific questions are “important.”
- Which studies are “serious” enough to train our machines on.
- Which faces and stories are framed as aspirational — and which as dangerous.
If your media diet feels saturated with certain kinds of Black representation — hyper‑visible in music and sports, under‑represented in positions of uncontested authority — while “objective” science quietly debates Black intelligence, that’s not random drift. It’s the outcome of centuries of narrative work that men like Epstein bought into and helped sustain.
No one can draw a straight, provable line from his bank account to a specific song or recommendation. But the lines he did draw — to elite agencies, to brain and music research, to race‑obsessed science networks — are enough to show this: his money was not only paying for crimes in private. It was also buying him a seat at the tables where culture and knowledge are made, where the stories about who to love and who to fear get quietly agreed upon.

A Challenge to Filmmakers and Creatives
For anyone making culture inside this system, that’s the uncomfortable part: this isn’t just a story about “them.” It’s also a story about you.
Filmmakers, showrunners, musicians, actors, and writers all sit at points where money, narrative, and visibility intersect. You rarely control where the capital ultimately comes from, but you do control what you validate, what you reproduce, and what you challenge.
Questions worth carrying into every room:
- Whose gaze are you serving when you pitch, cast, and cut?
- Which Black characters are being centered — and are they full humans or familiar stereotypes made safe for gatekeepers?
- When someone says a project is “too political,” “too niche,” or “bad for the algorithm,” whose comfort is really being protected?
- Are you treating “the industry” as a neutral force, or as a set of human choices you can push against?
If wealth like Epstein’s can quietly seep into agencies, labs, and institutions that decide what gets made and amplified, then the stories you choose to tell — and refuse to tell — become one of the few levers of resistance inside that machine. You may not control every funding source, but you can decide whether your work reinforces a world where Black people are data points and aesthetics, or one where they are subjects, authors, and owners.
The industry will always have its “gatekeepers.” The open question is whether creatives accept that role as fixed, or start behaving like counter‑programmers: naming the patterns, refusing easy archetypes, and building alternative pathways, platforms, and partnerships wherever possible. In a landscape where money has long been used to decide what to love and who to fear, your choices about whose stories get light are not just artistic decisions. They are acts of power.
Entertainment
You wanted to make movies, not decode Epstein. Too late.

That’s the realization hanging over anyone picking up a camera right now. You didn’t sign up to be a forensic analyst of flight logs, sealed documents, or “unverified tips.” You wanted to tell stories. But your audience lives in a world where every new leak, every exposed celebrity, every dead‑end investigation feeds into one blunt conclusion:
Nobody at the top is clean. And nobody in charge is really coming to save us.
If you’re still making films in this moment, the question isn’t whether you’ll respond to that. You already are, whether you intend to or not. The real question is: will your work help people move, or help them go numb?

Your Audience Doesn’t Believe in Grown‑Ups Anymore
Look at the timeline your viewers live in:
- Names tied to Epstein.
- Names tied to trafficking.
- Names tied to abuse, exploitation, coverups.
- Carefully worded statements, high‑priced lawyers, and “no admission of wrongdoing.”
And in between all of that: playlists, memes, awards shows, campaign ads, and glossy biopics about “legends” we now know were monsters to someone.
If you’re under 35, this is your normal. You grew up:
- Watching childhood heroes get exposed one after another.
- Hearing “open secrets” whispered for years before anyone with power pretended to care.
- Seeing survivors discredited, then quietly vindicated when it was too late to matter.
So when the next leak drops and another “icon” is implicated, the shock isn’t that it happened. The shock is how little changes.
This is the psychic landscape your work drops into. People aren’t just asking, “Is this movie good?” They’re asking, often subconsciously: “Does this filmmaker understand the world I’m actually living in, or are they still selling me the old fantasy?”
You’re Not Just Telling Stories. You’re Translating a Crisis of Trust.
You may not want the job, but you have it: you’re a translator in a time when language itself feels rigged.
Politicians put out statements. Corporations put out statements. Studios put out statements. The public has learned to hear those as legal strategies, not moral positions.
You, on the other hand, still have this small window of trust. Not blind trust—your audience is too skeptical for that—but curious trust. They’ll give you 90 minutes, maybe a season, to see if you can make sense of what they’re feeling:
- The rage at systems that protect predators.
- The confusion when people they admired turn out to be complicit.
- The dread that this is all so big, so entrenched, that nothing they do matters.
If your work dodges that, it doesn’t just feel “light.” It feels dishonest.
That doesn’t mean every film has to be a trafficking exposé. It means even your “small” stories are now taking place in a world where institutions have failed in ways we can’t unsee. If you pretend otherwise, the audience can feel the lie in the walls.

Numbness Is the Real Villain You’re Up Against
You asked for something that could inspire movement and change. To do that, you have to understand the enemy that’s closest to home:
It’s not only the billionaire on the jet. It’s numbness.
Numbness is what happens when your nervous system has been hit with too much horror and too little justice. It looks like apathy, but it’s not. It’s self‑defense. It says:
- “If I let myself feel this, I’ll break.”
- “If I care again and nothing changes, I’ll lose my mind.”
- “If everyone at the top is corrupt, why should I bother being good?”
When you entertain without acknowledging this, you help people stay comfortably numb. When you only horrify without hope, you push them deeper into it.
Your job is more dangerous and more sacred than that. Your job is to take numbness seriously—and then pierce it.
How?
- By creating characters who feel exactly what your audience feels: overwhelmed, angry, hopeless.
- By letting those characters try anyway—in flawed, realistic, human ways.
- By refusing to end every story with “the system wins, nothing matters,” even if you can’t promise a clean victory.
Movement doesn’t start because everyone suddenly believes they can win. It starts because enough people decide they’d rather lose fighting than win asleep.
Show that decision.
Don’t Just Expose Monsters. Expose Mechanisms.
If you make work that brushes against Epstein‑type themes, avoid the easiest trap: turning it into a “one bad guy” tale.
The real horror isn’t one predator. It’s how many people, institutions, and incentives it takes to keep a predator powerful.
If you want your work to fuel real change:
- Show the assistants and staffers who notice something is off and choose silence—or risk.
- Show the PR teams whose entire job is to wash blood off brands.
- Show the industry rituals—the invite‑only parties, the “you’re one of us now” moments—where complicity becomes a form of currency.
- Show the fans, watching allegations pile up against someone who shaped their childhood, and the war inside them between denial and conscience.
When you map the mechanism, you give people a way to see where they fit in that machine. You also help them imagine where it can be broken.
Your Camera Is a Weapon. Choose a Target.
In a moment like this, neutrality is a story choice—and the audience knows it.
Ask yourself, project by project:
- Who gets humanized? If you give more depth to the abuser than the abused, that says something.
- Who gets the last word? Is it the lawyer’s statement, the spin doctor, the jaded bystander—or the person who was actually harmed?
- What gets framed as inevitable? Corruption? Cowardice? Or courage?
You don’t have to sermonize. But you do have to choose. If your work shrugs and says, “That’s just how it is,” don’t be surprised when it lands like anesthetic instead of ignition.
Ignition doesn’t require a happy ending. It just requires a crack—a moment where someone unexpected refuses to play along. A survivor who won’t recant. A worker who refuses the payout. A friend who believes the kid the first time.
Those tiny acts are how movements start in real life. Put them on screen like they matter, because they do.
Stop Waiting for Permission
A lot of people in your position are still quietly waiting—for a greenlight, for a grant, for a “better time,” for the industry to decide it’s ready for harsher truths.
Here’s the harshest truth of all: the system you’re waiting on is the same one your audience doesn’t trust.
So maybe the movement doesn’t start with the perfectly packaged, studio‑approved, four‑quadrant expose. Maybe it starts with:
- A microbudget feature that refuses to flatter power.
- A doc shot on borrowed gear that traces one tiny piece of the web with obsessive honesty.
- A series of shorts that make it emotionally impossible to look at “open secrets” as jokes anymore.
- A narrative film that never names Epstein once, but makes the logic that created him impossible to unsee.
If you do your job right, people will leave your work not just “informed,” but uncomfortable with their own passivity—and with a clearer sense of where their own leverage actually lives.

The Movement You Can Actually Spark
You are not going to single‑handedly dismantle trafficking, corruption, or elite impunity with one film. That’s not your job.
Your job is to help people:
- Feel again where they’ve gone numb.
- Name clearly what they’ve only sensed in fragments.
- See themselves not as background extras in someone else’s empire, but as moral agents with choices that matter.
If your film makes one survivor feel seen instead of crazy, that’s movement.
If it makes one young viewer question why they still worship a predator, that’s movement.
If it makes one industry person think twice before staying silent, that’s movement.

And movements, despite what the history montages pretend, are not made of big moments. They’re made of a million small, private decisions to stop lying—to others, and to ourselves.
You wanted to make movies, not decode Epstein.
Too late.
You’re here. The curtain’s already been pulled back. Use your camera to decide what we look at now: more distraction from what we know, or a clearer view of it.
One of those choices helps people forget.
The other might just help them remember who they are—and what they refuse to tolerate—long enough to do something about it.
Business & Money
Ghislaine Maxwell Just Told Congress She’ll Talk — If Trump Frees Her

February 9, 2026 — Ghislaine Maxwell tried to bargain with Congress from a prison video call.
Maxwell, the woman convicted of helping Jeffrey Epstein traffic underage girls, appeared virtually before the House Oversight Committee today and refused to answer a single question. She invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self‑incrimination on every substantive topic, including Epstein’s network, his associates, and any powerful figures who moved through his orbit.

Maxwell is serving a 20‑year federal sentence at a prison camp in Texas after being found guilty in 2021 of sex‑trafficking, conspiracy, and related charges. Her trial exposed a pattern of recruiting and grooming minors for Epstein’s abuse, and her conviction has been upheld on appeal. Despite that legal reality, her appearance today was less about accountability and more about negotiation.
Her lawyer, David Markus, told lawmakers that Maxwell would be willing to “speak fully and honestly” about Epstein and his world — but only if President Donald Trump grants her clemency or a pardon. Markus also claimed she could clear both Trump and Bill Clinton of wrongdoing related to Epstein, a statement critics immediately dismissed as a political play rather than a genuine bid for truth.
Republican Chair James Comer has already said he does not support clemency for Maxwell, and several Democrats accused her of trying to leverage her potential knowledge of powerful people as a way to escape prison. To many survivors’ advocates, the spectacle reinforced the sense that the system is more sympathetic to the powerful than to the victims.
At the same time, Congress is now reviewing roughly 3.5 million pages of Epstein‑related documents that the Justice Department has made available under tight restrictions. Lawmakers must view them on secure computers at the DOJ, with no phones allowed and no copies permitted. Early reports suggest that at least six male individuals, including one high‑ranking foreign official, had their names and images redacted without clear legal justification.

Those unredacted files are supposed to answer questions about who knew what, and when. The problem is that Maxwell is signaling she may never answer any of them — unless she is set free. As of February 9, 2026, the story is still this: a convicted trafficker is using her silence as leverage, Congress is sifting through a wall of redacted files, and the public is still waiting to see who really stood behind Epstein’s power.
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