Palm Beach Pete
American social media influencer (born 1955)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peter Bart Simel (/saɪˈmɛl/, sy-MEL; born 1955),[1] nicknamed Palm Beach Pete, is an American social media influencer and political candidate. In 2026, he went viral for his physical resemblance to Jeffrey Epstein.
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1955 (age 70–71)
- 2011
- 2026-present
Palm Beach Pete | |
|---|---|
Simel in 2026 | |
| Born | Peter Bart Simel 1955 (age 70–71) |
| Education | Syracuse University |
| Occupation | Social media influencer |
| Years active |
|
| Instagram information | |
| Page | |
| Years active | 2026–present |
| Followers | 371 thousand |
| TikTok information | |
| Page | |
| Years active | 2026–present |
| Followers | 1.2 million |
| Last updated: September 8, 2026 | |
| Website | voteforpalmbeachpete |
Life and career
Peter Simel is originally from New York.[2] He is Jewish.[3] He attended Syracuse University, from which he graduated in 1977.[4] He worked in commercial real estate in New York City prior to retirement[5] and played in the NCAA Division I men's tennis championships.[6]
In 2011, Simel had an appearance in The Real Housewives of New York City season 4, where he attends a party and greets Sonja Morgan.[5] He went viral due to his resemblance to the sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein,[2][5] who was also a Jewish New Yorker that lived in West Palm Beach, Florida.[3]
Simel went viral again in March 2026 due to the resemblance.[7] He has been referred to as Epstein's doppelgänger.[8] A video posted to TikTok by another user showed Simel driving in a car on the I-95 in Florida, while the user says "Epstein is alive".[6][7][8] The video garnered over 10 million views on TikTok,[9] and had been posted during discussions surrounding the Epstein files.[10]
Users on social media dubbed Simel as "Palm Beach Pete".[11] The video fueled conspiracy theories relating to Epstein's death, which happened in August 2019.[11] Following the virality, Simel created an Instagram account under the moniker and clarified that he was not Epstein.[7][12] Simel has stated that he believes Epstein is dead and also called him "such a vile human being".[13] On March 24, he appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! as himself.[5] In an interview with NewsNation, Simel stated that his social media following were mostly members of Generation Z.[2]
2028 Palm Beach mayoral campaign
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In May 2026, Simel announced his intentions to run for mayor of Palm Beach, Florida, in the 2028 elections.[4] On a podcast, Simel stated that as mayor, he intends to fund expansion projects for pickleball and padel courts, offer free dog-walking, Botox, and "mother-in-law therapy", and lease residents a convertible vehicle for a year, free of cost.[7] He also launched merchandise to support his campaign.[4] On June 25, 2026, Simel went on The Alex Jones Show, hosted by Alex Jones, to discuss his 2028 mayoral campaign.[14]