Court Documents Reveal a Story of Simpsons Creator Matt Groening Getting a Foot Massage from a Teenage Girl on Jeffrey Epstein’s Plane

“I was enjoying our conversation, when Jeffrey insisted that I give Matt a foot massage throughout the duration of the short flight."

(courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox)

The death of Jeffrey Epstein in a New York prison Aug. 10 did not halt the federal investigation into the connections of the wealthy financier accused of sexually trafficking teenage girls.

Among the people now named in court documents in connection with Epstein: Portland’s favorite son, the cartoonist Matt Groening.

Federal court records unsealed Aug. 9 include an account by alleged Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre of giving Groening a foot massage about 20 years ago while on Epstein’s private jet, traveling from Carmel, Calif., to Los Angeles. She was 16 at the time.

Giuffre’s story comes in an unusual form that makes its veracity difficult to evaluate. It is part of an unpublished short story Giuffre submitted to publishers, titled “The Billionaire’s Playboy Club.” It purported to be fiction, yet used the real names of its central figures—including Epstein. Giuffre, one of the central Epstein accusers, has said it is based on her experiences as his teenage sex slave.

The manuscript was unsealed last week in a lawsuit by Giuffre against Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. The Miami Herald fought to unseal the records.

Groening is the Portland-born cartoonist who created The Simpsons and Futurama, along with the syndicated comic strip Life in Hell.

Here are the relevant passages from Giuffre’s manuscript.

“On the plane was an unexpected visitor. Matt Groening the producer of ‘The Simpsons’ TV show was catching a ride with us. I was so excited, as I loved watching his show and acted like a star struck fan, asking him everything from his initial idea for creating the show to where he got his characters from. He told me it was all based on his own family make up, but without the crazy father and son scenes of Homers hand around Bart’s throat.

“I was enjoying our conversation, when Jeffrey insisted that I give Matt a foot massage throughout the duration of the short flight. I never turned down a client but when I saw the shape of his feet, I nearly threw up at the thought of having to touch them. He had yellow crusty toenails that even someone with a chainsaw would’ve had troubles cutting through and then there was the fluffy balls of leftover pieces of sock wedged between the crevices of his sweaty toes, now that was the real icing on the cake for me, no way could I attempt this I thought. Then I had an idea. I went to the back of the plane and rinsed a wash cloth in warm soapy water and returned for his dreaded foot massage but not before attempting to clean them first.
“In return for my services Matt was kind enough to draw me two quick sketches on blank paper from his briefcase of my two favorite characters, Homer and Bart. I asked if he wouid make them out to my little brother and dad, the true fans of the family not missing an episode during dinner over the past ten years or so. Next to the A-4 size drawing he was able to fit in the quote ‘To my greatest fan from Matt Groening’ and their names next to it. I knew they’d absolutely love it, and it was such a nice gesture his feet were no longer an issue as I laughed it off and even made a joke to the comedian about getting a pedicure before hitting beaches.

“The flight was only short and we arrived in busy L.A within the hour, saying Good-Bye to Matt, who was a pleasure to meet.”

Groening’s last known attorney did not respond to requests for comment. Neither did representatives from Fox Entertainment Group, which broadcasts The Simpsons.

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