Fact Check: Did Obamas sell their Martha’s Vineyard house to a former Epstein client?

WASHINGTON, DC: The Jeffrey Epstein case has been making headlines recently, especially after the Department of Justice revealed in their memo that there was no "client list," that the disgraced financier took his own life, and that there was no foul play in his death.

Recently, a rumor circulated online claiming that former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle sold their Martha's Vineyard house to Les Wexner, who hired Epstein as a money manager. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out below.

Claim: Obamas sold their Martha's Vineyard house to Les Wexner

In August, as rumors about Jeffrey Epstein continued to swirl following the DOJ’s memo, an online rumor claimed that Barack Obama and his wife Michelle sold their Martha's Vineyard summer house to one of Epstein's clients, Leslie "Les" Wexner.

A Facebook post claimed that the couple had sold their house to Wexner for a "whopping $37 million."

The post read, "The Obamas just sold their Martha’s Vineyard home for a whopping $37 million. The buyer? Les Wexner. Les Wexner gave a power of attorney to a man with no financial background to control his billions in wealth. That man? Jeffrey Epstein."

Similarly, another Facebook post read, "Les Wexner, Epstein's sugar daddy, bought the Obama's Martha's Vineyard home for $37 m—they bought it in 2019 for a bit over $11m [on edit: There seems to be some confusion as to whether this is their present home. I think it probably was the one they rented before they bought their home.]"

Meanwhile, an X post read, "So… Are we supposed to ignore that the Obamas just sold their Martha’s Vineyard mansion to Lex Wexner who’s personal money manager that had power of attorney over his finances was… Jeffrey Epstein Not making any of that up."

Fact Check: False, Obamas did not sell their Martha's Vineyard house to Les Wexner

The claims made in the online rumor are false, stemming from confusion between a house the Obamas rented for their summer residence early in Obama’s presidency and a different house they bought a decade later on the opposite side of the Massachusetts island, Snopes reported.

Moreover, the house, known as Blue Heron Farm, went on sale for $39 million in May 2025, according to reports and a now-expired real estate ad.

The fact-checking outlet confirmed the house was sold on July 10, 2025, according to a deed registered with Dukes County.   

It was sold for $2 million under the asking price of $37 million, with separate sales records covering the different lots that are part of the property.

Furthermore, the property did not belong to the Obamas but to British architect Norman Foster and his wife, who had owned it since 2011 and made several improvements to the house and land.

Although the Obamas summered there for the first three years of Obama’s presidency, they never owned the property.

Similar rumor about Obama and Epstein resurfaced earlier

This is not the first time a rumor about Barack Obama and Jeffrey Epstein has circulated online. 

In July 2025, a picture went viral purportedly showing Obama drinking beer with disgraced financier Epstein. Several posts claimed the photo was taken in Thailand.

However, the rumor was false, as the man seen with Obama in the photo is not Epstein, but the late chef and television personality Anthony Bourdain. 

The photo was taken in 2016 during Bourdain's interview with Obama at a small restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam, for an episode of his CNN show 'Parts Unknown.'

During the segment, the two shared a meal of bun cha and drank local beer while discussing topics such as Obama's time in Southeast Asia, parenting, and political division.

Tragically, Bourdain died by suicide in 2018. Following his death, Obama shared the same photo and captioned it: "Low plastic stool, cheap but delicious noodles, cold Hanoi beer. This is how I'll remember Tony. He taught us about food, but more importantly, about its ability to bring us together. To make us a little less afraid of the unknown. We'll miss him."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.