The Disgraced A-Lister Who Showed Up To Chelsea Clinton's Wedding
When Chelsea Clinton wed Marc Mezvinsky back in 2010, it was a star-studded affair. However, one guest was certainly more infamous than famous. We're talking about Ghislaine Maxwell — yes, the Ghislaine Maxwell currently serving 20 years in prison for sexually grooming underage girls.
Maxwell didn't exactly hide the fact that she was at the former first daughter's nuptials. Far from it, in fact. In one snap of Bill Clinton walking Chelsea down the aisle, her appearance is unmistakable as she grins at the bride-to-be. Why is her being there and not afraid to show it relevant? As it turns out, according to court documents, she'd managed to skip out on a deposition that was part of Virginia Giuffre's (then Virginia Roberts) case against Jeffrey Epstein. She'd done that by telling the court she needed to leave the U.S. (and possibly never return) to be with her sick mother.
Miraculously, Maxwell's mother recovered not long after, and despite telling the court she might never return to America, the socialite was spotted in an aisle seat at Chelsea's Rhinebeck, New York wedding. The flagrant disregard for her would-be deposition would raise red flags in itself. However, there was more element that seemed a bit shady. According to Daily Mail, largely as a result of Maxwell's no-show at the deposition, Giuffre's case ended up being settled out of court. Just to put the timing into perspective, Chelsea's wedding took place just two weeks after the settlement was finalized.
Chelsea says her friendship with Ghislaine is over
For what it's worth, Chelsea Clinton has addressed Ghislaine Maxwell's attendance at her wedding in recent years. Whiel she admitted that they were acquainted (past tense), let's just say her explanation for why they were ever friendly in the first place is a little biting.
In a statement made to Politico, Clinton's spokesperson explained that the former first daughter and her husband had only heard of everything Maxwell was accused of several years after they'd tied the knot. "It wasn't until 2015 that Chelsea and Marc became aware of the horrific allegations against Ghislaine Maxwell and [they] hope that all the victims find justice," the statement read. Granted, news reports hinting at Maxwell's possible involvement were already swirling in 2011, but we digress. After all, it seems Chelsea had cut contact with Ghislaine around that time, anyway. And that's where things take a delightfully shady turn.
While Clinton and her husband might not have known about the allegations against Maxwell in 2011, that happened to be the year Maxwell and then-boyfriend, American businessman Ted Waitt, split up. It transpires that Waitt was the only reason Maxwell was part of Clinton's set, anyway. "Chelsea and Marc were friendly with her because of her relationship with a dear friend of theirs. When that relationship ended, Chelsea and Marc's friendship with her ended as well," the statement read. Sorry, Ghislaine — you may have had a ton of famous acquaintances, but it seems Clinton was never that attached.
One insider claimed Chelsea and Ghislaine were tight
One person who has suggested Chelsea Clinton and Ghislaine Maxwell were closer than the former first daughter let on is Bill Clinton's former aide, Doug Band. In fact, in an extensive interview with Vanity Fair, Band suggested that his former boss's daughter enjoyed some of the perks that came with hanging out with Prince Andrew's bestie.
"Ghislaine had access to yachts and nice homes. Chelsea needed that," Band claimed. Big yikes. Band also told the outlet that he ultimately played a part in ending the friendship in 2011, by banning Maxwell from any official Clinton parties and fundraisers. "I knew in telling everyone to stop including Ghislaine that Chelsea and her father would be very angry. It made it harder for them to justify being close to her," he claimed.
Granted, it's also pretty clear Band is not a fan of Chelsea. In fact, sources speaking to Vanity Fair pointed out that Band was offended by her treating him like an employee, despite being close to the family. It's also worth noting that as was reported by Daily Beast, in January 2024, unsealed court docs revealed that Maxwell herself had claimed she and Band were friends at some point. Plot twist, much? Suffice it to say, there's a lot going on. At the end of the day, whether she was there as a plus one or because Chelsea was friends with her, Maxwell will always be a stain in the wedding pictures.