Socialite author Amy Griffin denies threatening New York Times reporter’s child

Socialite author Amy Griffin has vehemently denied allegations that she threatened the child of a New York Times reporter who wrote a story suggesting Griffin had cribbed a story of sexual abuse and passed it off as her own in a memoir.

Katherine Rosman’s September 2025 article asked whether Griffin’s recollections of her abuse — which she says she recalled only after undergoing experimental MDMA treatments — may have been borrowed from a former classmate who said the accounts in 2025 bestseller “The Tell” were “eerily similar” to her own experiences at their school in Amarillo, Texas.

The classmate sued Griffin, the wife of hedge fund billionaire John Griffin, after Rosman’s article came out, and Griffin countersued, claiming the classmate had defamed her.

Amy Griffin became entangled in scandal when a New York Times investigation questioned whether the story of abuse she told in her book, “The Tell,” was borrowed from a former middle school classmate. Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

On Sunday evening, the website Semafor reported that, at Ari Emanuel’s annual Aspen retreat on the weekend the Times story dropped, Griffin allegedly told attendees that Rosman had made life miserable for her and her children — and that she intended to do the same to the reporter’s son.

But on Monday, reps for Griffin told Page Six, “Amy Griffin has never threatened Katherine Rosman’s children or taken any action to harm Ms. Rosman or her family. These allegations are categorically false.”

The spokesperson said that following the Times’ investigation — co-authored by Elisabeth Egan — friends of Griffin’s own daughter had discussed the reporting in a group chat, hurting her daughter’s feelings.

According to Semafor, one attendee in Aspen interpreted Griffin’s remarks as a threat and arranged for a mutual contact to warn Rosman, and the Times’ top lawyer spoke with Griffin’s attorney about the matter.

There is no indication Griffin ever acted against Rosman’s son, or that he suffered any consequences from colleges.

“At an event shortly after publication, Mrs. Griffin was upset about the impact on her daughter and expressed those feelings in a conversation with a friend. Her words were later taken out of context and mischaracterized as a threat she never made,” the spokesperson said.

Griffin, pictured here with Gayle King, Oprah Winfrey and Chelsea Clinton, published her book after remembering the sexual abuse she allegedly experienced as a child after the memories arose during MDMA therapy. Getty Images for American Ballet Theatre
“The Tell” hit the New York Times bestseller list, sold more than 100,000 copies and was selected for Oprah’s Book Club. Getty Images for Amy Griffin
Griffin, pictured here with Karlie Kloss, has now been accused of threatening one of the reporters who worked on the New York Times investigation. Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

Semafor reports that months later Griffin allegedly asked someone with influence over admissions at a major American university to help ensure Rosman’s children were rejected.

Griffin’s spokesperson denied she had contacted anyone at a school about the children.

An article from Semafor claimed that Griffin said that Katherine Rosman, a Times reporter, had sought to destroy her life and her family’s GC Images
Griffin, pictured here with Nikki Glaser, was also accused of trying to get an influential figure at a top university to deny Rosman’s son admission. WWD via Getty Images

As Page Six previously reported, the controversy is testing Griffin’s social circle, with one insider saying, “People would like to distance themselves from her.” Others, however, remain firmly in her corner. Griffin is a major investor in celebrity ventures including Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop and Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine.

Meanwhile, broadcaster Billy Bush has claimed on his podcast that Griffin confronted him at Jennifer Meyer and Geoffrey Ogunlesi’s lavish Lanai wedding earlier this month. “In my opinion,” he said, “[Griffin] is a woman who has become unhinged, tearing down innocent people, trying to ruin lives and careers.” He added, “She has attempted to blackball people from schools. She’s threatened to bankrupt media publications and individuals, including me.”

Griffin’s legal fight with her classmate continues.

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