Yale Professor Defends Recommending 'Good-Looking Blonde' Student to Epstein

David Gelernter says he was 'keeping the potential boss's habits in mind' when making the recommendation.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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Yale University has suspended a prominent computer science professor, David Gelernter, from teaching after newly released documents showed he sent an email to the late Jeffrey Epstein describing an undergraduate student as a 'good-looking blonde' while recommending her for a job. Gelernter has defended his actions, saying he was 'keeping the potential boss's habits in mind' and that the student wanted the recommendation at the time, unaware of Epstein's criminal history.

Why it matters

This case highlights the ongoing fallout from the Epstein scandal, with more public figures facing scrutiny over their connections to the disgraced financier. It also raises questions about the ethics of recommending students for jobs based on appearance rather than merit, and whether universities should be doing more to vet such recommendations.

The details

The email from Gelernter to Epstein, sent in 2011 several years after Epstein's conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor, described a Yale senior as a 'v small good-looking blonde' who Gelernter had in mind for a job. Gelernter has defended the email, saying he was 'keeping the potential boss's habits in mind' and that the student wanted the recommendation at the time, unaware of Epstein's criminal history. Yale has suspended Gelernter from teaching while it reviews his conduct.

  • In 2008 and 2009, Epstein served jail time in Florida after pleading guilty to state charges of soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18.
  • Gelernter sent the email to Epstein in October 2011, several years after Epstein's conviction.

The players

David Gelernter

A prominent computer science professor at Yale University who is known for his work in parallel computation and helping develop the Linda computer programming system.

Jeffrey Epstein

The late, disgraced financier who was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor and faced federal charges of sexually abusing dozens of girls before his death by suicide in 2019.

Jeffrey Brock

The dean of Yale's School of Engineering & Applied Science.

Theodore Kaczynski

Also known as the 'Unabomber', he was responsible for a 17-year bombing campaign that killed three people and injured 23 others. In 1993, he sent a mail explosive that wounded Gelernter.

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What they’re saying

“So long as I said nothing that dishonored her in any conceivable way, I'd have told him more or less what he wanted. She was smart, charming & gorgeous. Ought I to have suppressed that info? Never!”

— David Gelernter, Professor (Yale Daily News)

“The university's Smoking Gun is a personal, private email, dug out of the dump of Epstein files. (If someone handed you a stack of other people's private correspondence, would you dive in and read them? Of course not. Gentlemen and ladies don't read each other's mail. (Courtesy 101.)'”

— David Gelernter, Professor (Hearst Connecticut Media Group)

What’s next

Yale says Gelernter's conduct is under review, and he will not teach his class until the review is completed.

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing fallout from the Epstein scandal, with more public figures facing scrutiny over their connections to the disgraced financier. It also raises questions about the ethics of recommending students for jobs based on appearance rather than merit, and whether universities should be doing more to vet such recommendations.