Paleontologist tied to ‘Jurassic Park’ is out at Chapman after Epstein connection, but the true horror is in his own words

The paleontologist known for his work on the beloved Jurassic Park films, John “Jack” Horner, is officially no longer with Chapman University following revelations about his unsettling association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This news broke after a recent release of Department of Justice files, which contained emails linking Horner to Epstein’s controversial activities.

You might know Horner as the science advisor who helped bring those iconic dinosaurs to life on the big screen for the first five Jurassic Park movies. However, according to the NY Post, a series of messages between Horner and Epstein showed the paleontologist seeking funding and making references to visits at the billionaire’s infamous ranch. 

In an email, dated September 1, 2012, to Epstein’s assistant Lesley Groff, Horner wrote, “First off, many thanks for the invitation to your ranch. I had a great time, especially spending time with you and the girls, and seeing your Cretaceous sediments and the old railroad.” This message was after he attended an event at Epstein’s Zorro Ranch in New Mexico, when he was a professor at Montana State University. Reports say he visited again in 2016.

Epstein and Horner shared a transactional relationship

In that same 2012 exchange, Horner inquired about funding for his “DinoChicken” project, initially estimating the cost at around $15,000 before revising it down to $8,650. Epstein was quick to respond the same day, simply asking, “great, check made to ???” It really paints a picture of a direct, transactional relationship.

Epstein himself seemed to enjoy Horner’s visits, even sending a message that read, “dinosaur and fossil hunting with jack horner on the ranch, found 90 million year old clams and fossils. right up your alley.” It’s a chilling thought, imagining these two engaged in such a seemingly innocent activity given what we now know about Epstein.

Despite the clear email trail, Horner has consistently denied any knowledge of Epstein’s extensive criminal conduct. He once said that his decision to pursue Epstein as a donor was “extremely poor judgment.” He maintained that his trips to the ranch had “nothing weird or suspicious” about them. 

He went on to assert, “No amount of money in the world would have lured me to meet with a known sexual predator.” He also stated that he now understands “there was much more to his conviction, but that many of his other charges had been sealed.”

However, Horner’s own account of who was present at the ranch during his visits is quite telling. He described the attendees as Epstein, a chef, Epstein’s secretary, the ranch manager and his wife, and “four women who were introduced to me as college students, two of whom claimed to be adept in genetics.” It’s hard to reconcile his claims of “nothing weird, inappropriate, or out of the ordinary” with the presence of multiple “college students” at Epstein’s ranch.

Chapman University has confirmed Horner’s departure, simply stating that he is “no longer with” the institution. A spokesperson for the university declined to provide any further details on the reasons for his dismissal.