Jimmy Fallon and Tommy Mottola Deal Collapses Following Epstein Scandal Mention

It seems the Epstein scandal has claimed its first victim in the culinary world.

Insiders revealed to Page Six Hollywood that Jimmy Fallon was about to unveil a new line of pasta sauce with music executive Tommy Mottola, but plans are now on hold because Mottola’s name has surfaced in the Epstein documents. Fallon’s representatives chose not to comment, and Mottola’s representative did not reply to inquiries.

“Nobody wants to be associated with anyone named in the Epstein files,” a source with knowledge of the sauce venture shared.

Documents reveal that Mottola, the former head of Sony Music Entertainment and the force behind stars like Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez, and Gloria Estefan, maintained a relationship with Epstein for over a decade, continuing even after Epstein’s well-documented 2006-2008 jail term for soliciting sex from minors, including a 14-year-old.

Mottola, who has been married to Mexican singer and actress Thalia since 2000, reportedly visited Epstein’s mansion on Manhattan’s Upper East Side multiple times. From 2010 until Epstein’s arrest in 2019, the two were in regular contact.

Throughout that decade, there were numerous urgent messages from Epstein’s assistant to her boss, saying, “Please call Tommy Mottola.” In 2012, the assistant messaged an unidentified recipient questioning, “Did Tommy Mottola come over early today? Just wondering.” Mottola often sought Epstein’s advice on exclusive services like renting a high-end helicopter for family trips from Anguilla to St. Barts in 2014, and he was familiar enough with Epstein to send him luxury gifts like Bridgewater Chocolates in December 2011 and a gift basket in September 2017. Mottola frequently pressed assistants when his calls to Epstein’s residence in Paris went unanswered. In one message, Epstein inquired if someone knew Enrique Iglesias, misspelling the singer’s name.

Their correspondence grew particularly troubling around 2017, during the rise of the MeToo movement, which appeared to unsettle Mottola. In their messages, they discussed a woman who had hired a lawyer, with Epstein assuring Mottola: “You are safe.” Mottola replied, “You’re sure?.. I don’t have to do anything just shut up and lay low.” Later, after a damning article about Les Moonves appeared in the New Yorker, Epstein messaged Mottola about the massage references in the piece, suggesting they “should thank our lucky stars.”

The fallout from the Epstein files has impacted many sectors, prompting resignations from high-profile figures like CEOs and ambassadors linked to Epstein or his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking minors. In Hollywood, attention has turned to mogul Casey Wasserman, who manages top musicians and actors like Lorde, Emma Stone, and Sydney Sweeney. Several artists, including Chappell Roan, have cut ties with Wasserman after revelations of his problematic exchanges with Maxwell.