In the most recent batch of documents made public from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, one seemingly ordinary word has appeared hundreds of times, leading to widespread discussion and speculation online. The word in question is “pizza.” According to reporting on the newly released files, “pizza” crops up over 800 times (some reports suggest close to 900 mentions) in the tens of thousands of pages, emails, and other material now available from the Department of Justice’s archive related to Epstein’s long-running sex trafficking investigation.
While at first glance this might seem like a mundane reference to food, its frequency and context in certain emails has led some observers — including commentators and people on social media — to wonder whether it might have been used as a code word to disguise discussions of disturbing or criminal subjects.
Why “Pizza” Has Drawn So Much Attention
The speculation around “pizza” doesn’t come out of nowhere. In online safety and law enforcement communities, terms like “cheese pizza” have been used as slang for child pornography because the initials (“CP”) match. Based on that history, some argue that repeated references to “pizza” in the Epstein files could signal coded language used to talk about sexual abuse or exploitation without saying so directly. In the newly released documents, the words “cheese” and “pizza” often appear together, and “cheese” alone appears over a thousand times. Some instances of these words seem out of place — out of context for what otherwise look like normal email exchanges — which has contributed to speculation that they might have been used as euphemisms or shorthand within certain circles.
However, it’s important to stress that the presence of a word repeatedly in a dataset is not evidence of wrongdoing in itself. Many mentions of “pizza” could simply be literal — people talking about food or meals — and investigators or authorities have not confirmed that the term was used as a secret code within Epstein’s private communications.
Context From the Files and Public Reaction
The broader Epstein Files consist of millions of pages of documents, including emails, photos, videos and other records tied to federal investigations into Epstein’s alleged sex-trafficking ring and his network of contacts. Public access to these materials under the Epstein Files Transparency Act has led to intense scrutiny, including analysis of unusual language, repeated phrases and patterns in the files. Some analysts and observers have pointed out that even if words like “pizza” or “cheese” show up often, it doesn’t necessarily mean they were used to conceal criminal acts. Context is crucial, and without definitive evidence tying a term to illicit behavior, speculation can quickly veer into conspiracy territory — as happened with earlier theories like “Pizzagate,” which were widely debunked but persisted online. Even some social media discussion highlights this nuance: many people note that the references to “pizza” might just reflect ordinary language, and caution against jumping to conclusions without clear evidence. Others take a more conspiratorial view, but these interpretations are not grounded in confirmed investigative findings.
What This Doesn’t Prove
Importantly, investigators and public officials have not publicly stated that the repeated word is proof of a specific coded language used for criminal communication. The DOJ’s release simply makes documents available, and as with any large trove of records, patterns can emerge that attract attention — but those patterns require careful contextual analysis before drawing conclusions. Therefore, while the frequent mentions of “pizza” in the Epstein files are striking and have sparked debate online, they remain speculation rather than established fact regarding secret codes or hidden meanings within Epstein’s communications.
