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One after another, content creators are finding their way to Little Saint James, better known as the private island once owned by the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Armed with cameras, they are capitalizing on and propellingincreased interestin revelations from the latest release of the Epstein files — a series of disclosures made by the Justice Department revealing partially redacted documents that were aggregated and produced during its investigation into Epstein. The disgraced financier died by suicide in his jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

Out of over 15 YouTube videos NBC News reviewed of people filming their expeditions to Little Saint James, part of the U.S. Virgin Islands, at least nine were posted this year, some within days of each other.

The videos have become increasingly popular and have accumulated more than 52 million views in total.

Most of the videos run a similar course. Content creators fly to St. Thomas, the closest neighboring island with an airport, and upon their arrival, speak to locals to get tips and rumors about Little Saint James.

From there, they scope out local Jet Ski and snorkel rentals and swim onto the island's shore or fly drones over it.

The YouTubers are motivated by the online engagement that comes with all things Epstein, but also by various online theories about the island and unanswered questions about its role in Epstein's web of sexual abuse of women and girls.

The trips to the island do not appear to be sanctioned or approved by its latest owner, billionaireStephen Deckoff, who boughtLittle Saint James and a neighboring island Epstein owned known as Great Saint James for $60 million in 2023. In apress release detailing the purchase,Deckoff had plans to develop a "state-of-the-art, five-star, world-class luxury 25-room resort" that was slated to open last year.

A spokesperson for the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources said in a statement to NBC News that it has not "received any plans for the development of a resort on either Little or Great Saint James as of March 2026." Deckoff's asset management firm, Black Diamond Capital Management, did not respond to a request for comment.

The U.S. Coast Guard deferred NBC News to the U.S. Virgin Islands Police Department for comment. The police department didn't respond to a request for comment.

YouTuber Ben Lisi, whoposted a video attempting to go to the islandin February, told NBC News that he opted not to attempt to step on the island because of the legal concerns: "the island is owned by a new person now, so, I don't really know much about them, but I did obviously want to respect that."

But others were willing to take on the risk. Jordan-based YouTuber Ahmad Aburobmade a videothat's now been viewed more than 15 million times, which shows him stepping onto the island and approaching a structure that's been dubbed the "temple."

"I actually went in very quickly to do that video because I knew it will go viral, and I know it really fits my usual content," he said. For eight of the YouTubers who have made Little Saint James videos, including Aburob, their videos visiting the island are in their top five most-viewed videos.

With the latest release of the Epstein files under the Trump administration, interest in the convicted sex offender has surged dramatically in the past month. Searches for "Little James Island" and "Epstein Island" reached an all-time high in February, according toGoogle Trends data.

"The latest release of Epstein files, that created a trend, and that trend caused YouTubers to go there to kind of ride on that trend," Aburob said.

He said that he wanted to attempt to visit the island after seeing videos fromcontent creators Nico GriggandTyler Oliveiradoing the same, and said he wanted to step onto the island after seeing Grigg only reach the surrounding waters. (He had complained about stepping on sea urchins while approaching the shore.)

Aburob said that he thinks many of the videos are a mix between manufactured drama and genuine curiosity.

"It's a mix of both," he said. "As a content creator, it's your job to create a very entertaining piece. So it's okay to latch on to whatever drama you can find while doing the experience, in my opinion."

Several of the creators who went to the island are known for their prank videos or for their content exploring government conspiracy theories, but some have said that their videos exploring the island are unlike their typical content.

"I know this is a different side, it's not really me pranking," YouTuber Junior Sangaresaid in his video. He took a Jet Ski near the island but ended up not going onto it, but told his followers: "100 thousand likes — on my life — I will come back here, ding-dong ditch this building, and spend the night on this island without trying to get caught." He is 25,000 likes away from his goal as of Wednesday.

Lisi said that he hoped the video could raise awareness about the Epstein case while still being "light hearted and still adventurous" for his younger audience.

"Even though it's just a silly video, and we didn't actually sneak on the island or anything, but we just saw it, I think it still brings more attention to it," Lisi said. "And hopefully, in some small way, can bring justice to the victims and help expose or continue to bring to light what's going on behind closed doors."

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What many have referred to as the "temple" has been a spot of particular interest for YouTubers visiting the island. In recent videos where YouTubers have made it up close to the structure, it appears to have been painted over and boarded up.

"Ungodly things happened here, it feels so weird being here," YouTuber Ash Alk said as he walked around the templein his videoreleased in late February.

Permit recordsshow that the structure was pitched as a music pavilion, complete with a grand piano, living room and bathroom inside. But the building's final design ended up much different than the original designs included in the records. There is limited information on what the building was actually used for.

Other content creators focused on different aspects of the island. In his video, Lisiwas set on finding potential tunnelsunder Epstein's island. It has not been confirmed if tunnels had actually been built under the island, but insome recently released documentsoutlining tasks on Little Saint James, a "tunnel" is mentioned, giving rise to online speculation. He told NBC News he hadn't seen any tunnels while he was there.

In eight of the videos from this year, the influencers appear to use the same Jet Ski rental service, Coastal Water Sports, to make their treks to the island. A man who appears in the videos addresses the popularity of YouTubers visiting the island, telling Lisi: "Not more YouTubers."

In the videos, the man seems aware of people's plans to visit the island but often discourages them from going.

"No, don't go there," the man says to Oliveirain his video. "It's somebody's island." The YouTubers appear to still use the Jet Skis to go toward the island and are shown in the videos signing papers.

But Jet Ski trips to Little Saint James don't appear to be part of Coastal Water Sports' marketing strategy and aren't promoted on its social media, beyondposting pictures with Griggs and YouTuber Matt Batista, who went on a trip together,as well as Lisi and Sangare. When reached for comment through the number on the company's website about the increased interest from YouTubers, an individual from Coastal Water Sports told NBC News that they were "not authorized to speak on that."

Epstein's other properties have also attracted interest. Many people in the past have hung aroundEpstein's Upper East Side mansionand one couple was accused of attempting tobreak in and steal fromhis New Mexico property, Zorro Ranch.

Andy Bracco made a video that accumulated 1.5 million views of him going to the island in 2020. He said he has alsocamped outside Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell's luxury home in New Hampshire, where she lived up until the point she was arrested in July 2020, around the time Bracco had gone. Maxwell iscurrently serving time in a federal prison in Texas.

"I barely slept through so many noises in the woods. I was so in my head about where I was, I was very nervous," Bracco said. "I went in. I got some shots of the house from up close, shots that no one has. And then I even looked inside. There was a champagne-colored Lexus, RX 350, like a SUV. So if you're wondering what she drove, I guess that's her vehicle."

He said that he has had interest in walking outside Epstein's properties in New York, but hasn't done so.

For his trip to the island, Bracco said he spent upwards of 60 days doing research on how to enter it discreetly, and how to find someone to take him. He said that since he's gone, many creators have come to him for advice on how to get on the island.

"I think it's going to unfortunately become a bit of a trend," he said. "It was easier, but now it's probably going to get harder, they're going to start to wrap up their security a little bit, just because of the frequency of people trying to get on the island."

Epstein initiallybought Little Saint James island in 1998and then purchased Great Saint James in 2016. Following his death in 2019, theFBI conducted a raidon Little Saint James. Epstein's estateowned the propertyuntil it was put up for sale in 2022.

Prior to Bracco's 2020 visit, Luke Rudkowskifilmed himself going onto the islandshortly after the FBI raid for his channel We Are Change.

Rudkowski told NBC News that he chose to go to the island after seeing a drone video of the property that captured footage of someone who he thought looked similar to Epstein.

"I found it to be something that was incredibly important for public interest," he said.

When Rudkowski had gone to the island, it still had lots of furniture and decorations left behind by Epstein. Rudkowski filmed himself walking inside rooms and different structures on the island and looking outside the then-painted temple. He said that what had caught his eye while he was there was the odd furniture and what appeared to be gargoyle statues that were scattered around. Epstein also had white gargoyle statues in front of his Palm Beach home, according to recently released files.

Rudkowski said that he has seen some of the recent videos of people going onto the island, but has mixed emotions about it.

"When there's so much that the government hasn't given us answers to, people are going to naturally try to fill that void," he said. "But if we had a competent DOJ that actually would have done the proper job here and investigated it, we wouldn't have a lot of these independent content creators using the situation as they are for this type of adventurism that they're highlighting on YouTube."

"But at the same time, I'm the person who kind of did it before anybody else," he added.

While new videos continue to appear, with YouTuber Ali Atfiposting the most recent oneon March 10, the trend might be short-lived. Aburob said he doesn't plan on making any more Epstein-related content, adding that he doesn't "want to be associated with that name."

"I mean, for a YouTuber, it's a very nice trip to make content, but I don't think any normal human being would go, because there's nothing to do," Aburob said. "You just go around and make content. That's it. There's nothing to do if you're not a YouTuber."

The rise of the machines could be closer than you think. A humanoid bot had to be "bounced" from a California restaurant after smashing tableware during a dance routine gone awry, as seen inviral X footage.

The smashing machine had reportedly been tasked with performing for patrons at the Haidilao hotpot restaurant in San Jose.

The clip, mistakenly labeled as transpiring in China, starts innocuously enough with said robot shaking its hands and twerking its hips while clad in an orange apron ironically labeled "I'm good."

Then, all of a sudden, the disco droid starts tearing up the dance floor.

The termi-waiter proceeds to start knocking over tableware, smashing plates and sending chopsticks flying, evoking one of the failed automated police prototypes from Robocop 2.

That's when waitstaff proceed to grab the dance machine by the scruff of its neck and haul it outside while it continues to bust moves a la an unruly St Paddy's Day reveler.

Commenters were bemused by the machine's malfunction.

"[It] broke free from the matrix,"quipped one, whileanother joked, "This is what happens when you don't pay your robots enough."

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However, some found the automated employee's tantrum somewhat dystopian withone critic warning, "the revolution is going to begin."

"It's all fun and games, till the robot doesn't find it funny anymore,"said another.

"This is actually scary,"declared a third. "Watch how hard three grown people have to wrestle this thing just to make it freeze."

"Now picture that same loss of control in a 100+ kg combat/security humanoid, or one carrying sharp tools in a kitchen/factory," they added, stressing the need for "emergency stop buttons" within arms reach.

It's yet unclear if the automaton was "terminated" following its dance dance revolution, but this isn't the first time a bot has lost control on the job.

In 2025,freaky footage showeda humanoid robot seemingly snapping and lashing out at its handlers at a Chinese factory like something out of a sci-fi thriller.

These shocking incidents comes as anthropomorphic-seeming machines are becoming more integrated into our everyday lives.

This past winter,Shanghai start-up DroidUPunveiled an eerily realistic humanoid service bot named Moya with camera eyes and warm skin.

"A robot that truly serves human life should be warm, have a temperature, almost like a living being that people can connect with," said company founder Li Qingdu.

García has been in treatment for over a year at the Institute of Hematology and Immunology and is thankful to have access to the hospital — one of the best on the communist-run island — but acknowledges that even there she faces constraints.

"It has been tough in every sense ... Sometimes the institute has been out of many medications, and I have had to call my friends and family in other countries to send me my medication," García said.

As Cuba's economic crisis deepens and amidthe fuel shortages and the blackouts,hospitals have been hard hit, leaving patients in the dark and medicine at risk of spoiling.

Cuba's government granted NBC News rare access inside the Institute of Hematology and Immunology, a research facility in the capital where they treat difficult cases from across the island that are referred there.

Even at this top hospital, which has more resources than others across the island, doctors and nurses are grappling with the complexities of treating patients under serious constraints.

"I haven't lost patients due to this situation," said Martin Hernández Isas, a hematologist at the institute who walks 20 miles from his home to get there.

"They have done the possible and the impossible to get here," he said of his patients. Staff at the hospital said that while their patients have been lucky, that may not be the case across the island.

Blackouts and shortages are not new to Cuba. A severe economic crisis has been unfolding since 2020, following President Donald Trump's tightened economic sanctions during his first term, the coronavirus pandemic which crippled the island's vital tourism industry, and fewer shipments of fuel from close ally Venezuela as they dealt with their own economic woes.

But in recent weeks Cuba's economy has taken a hit from Trump's oil blockade of the island,as his administration puts pressure on the Cuban government.

The lives of everydayCubans have been upendedand now revolve around when they have a few hours of power. But among the most vulnerable on the island are those who are dealing with illnesses.

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Staff at the Institute of Hematology and Immunology have had to strategize, reorganize and be flexible with schedules and work hours. The laboratories used to work five days a week. Now they're down to two days in order to save fuel.

One of the greatest challenges for patients is access to transport from their homes. Some rely on electric tricycles or are fortunate enough to have someone take them to the hospital. Others are forced to pay a taxi, but rides' prices are out of reach to the average Cuban.

Access to medication is a problem for patients. "We have to resort to them often asking their relatives [for medicine] or buying them on the black market," said Lucelia Leyva Calderón, a doctor and deputy director of the hospital.

It's common for Cuban Americans to send medicine, syringes and other supplies to hospitalized relatives on the island.

Some doctors make do with what they have.

"With 1 ml that a patient doesn't use, with 2 ml left over from another patient's vial, we pool it together so that no one is left without their medication," Hernández Isas said.

"The blackout affects us," said Hernández. He said that when they lose power at the hospital, they turn on a generator.

But there isn't always fuel available for the generator.

Norma Fernández, a nurse, said sometimes they lose power two or three times a day. The outages can last anywhere between one and 8 hours. She said this affects medication that needs to be refrigerated.

She said if the outage is only an hour long, the medications can stay cold enough, but when it's eight hours, "it's already difficult because there are patients who come to the institution, require some of the medications and, of course, the staff has to open the fridge and access medications," Fernández said.

While the hospital hasn't reported any deaths due to shortages, it's a fear on the minds of many.

"It is very difficult," said Leyva Calderon. "The hardest thing for a doctor is losing a patient. That is one of the hardest things I think there is, for everyone."

NEED TO KNOW

• Cyrus talks about how Hannah Montana superfan Alex Cooper convinced her to include Selena Gomez in the anniversary celebration

• Gomez had a recurring role on the show as a rival pop star named Mikayla

Miley Cyrusis confirming a very special guest will be part of theHannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special.

In her conversation withVariety,Cyrus talked about working with superfan andCall Her DaddyhostAlex Cooperabout what fans were eager for our of the upcoming special. The entertainer, 33, credited Cooper with arranging for an appearance fromSelena Gomezas part of the celebration.

"I love Selena, but I didn't know how much our friendship meant to the fans," Cyrus told the outlet, confirming the fellow Disney kid's participation."

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Cooper also encouraged Cyrus to open the special with her driving from Malibu to the soundstage.

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"I didn't think about the correlation between Hannah's house in Malibu and my house in Malibu," Cyrus explained, adding, "And my house burning down and me rebuilding."

Cyrus also opened up about returning to Hannah Montana's catalog, including singing "Best of Both Worlds" for the first time since 2008, sharing that it only took three rehearsals to feel it coming back to her.

"It was literally a bike. The dancers were doing stuff, and I'm like, 'That's not original!' " she laughed. "And they're like, 'Well, we're trying to make it modern.' I'm like, 'It ain't broke — don't fix it!' "

In 2007,Gomez had a recurring role on the showas a pop star named Mikayla, who feuds with Hannah Montana.

Gomez addressed rumors that she and Cyrus once feuded in aninterview withW, telling the outlet in 2016, "We never feuded. We both liked the same guy when we were 16. It was just aHilary Duff-Lindsay Lohan thing: 'Oh, my God, we like the same boy!' We are now completely settled in our own lives."

Read the original article onPeople

Handler revealed on a March 5episodeof her podcast "Dear Chelsea" that she bought a Los Angeles home from the couple five years ago, but has yet to live in it.

"It was a disaster," Handler said, adding that she did not know who she was purchasing the home from because it was in a trust.

"When they opened up the house, they were like, this house is the most toxic environment, you cannot live here for at least two years," she continued.

The comedian, who shared the story after a listener called in about seeing Kennedy at their gym, said she has "my own issues" with the DHS secretary.

"The idea that this guy is in charge of the health of our country when he didn't even have a proper foundation at his house," Handler added.

USA TODAY has reached out to reps for Kennedy and Hines for comment.

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Robert Kennedy Jr. (R) speaks to the students at Pace University in New York Sept. 18, 2003, after endorsing Democratic Presidential hopeful John Kerry at a press conference. Kennedy endorsed Kerry citing his lifelong commitment and leadership to improve the environment.

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See Senators grill HHS Secretary RFK Jr. over vaccine rulings, CDC turmoil

Chelsea Handler saysRFK Jr., Cheryl Hines' former home is 'cursed'

Handler said "everything has been redone" in the house she bought from Kennedy and Hines, but she has yet to move in because it has not passed an inspection.

"He has like a little outdoor storage unit that's been there since I bought the property — And they're like, 'this is illegal,' and I'm like, 'oh my God,'" she said.

"It's cursed," Handler added. "I mean, three people have come in and said this house is cursed."

Handler reportedly bought the Brentwood, California, home from Kennedy and Hines for $5.9 million in 2021, according toRealtor.com.

Kennedy and Hines have since moved to Washington, D.C., with the DHS secretaryreportedly having purchaseda $4.4 million Georgetown townhouse last year.

Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached atmelina.khan@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Chelsea Handler says RFK Jr., Cheryl Hines' house was a 'disaster'