Do we like them?Do we like Richard Branson?
Our score: 6 out of 10. A long run of public support for LGBTQ+ people, offset by a clumsy Epstein email, a denied misconduct allegation and some soft-soaping of Saudi Arabia.
Branson is the Virgin Group founder: a brand that grew from his entrepreneurial streak into airlines, cruises and a private island in the British Virgin Islands. Necker Island, his home base, is where the Epstein exchange at the centre of the latest fuss was set.
The Epstein story is the fresh one. Documents released by the US Department of Justice show Epstein emailed Branson after a 2013 business meeting on Necker Island, and Branson replied inviting him back "as long as you bring your harem". His team says Epstein used that word for three adult women on his team and that Branson regrettably repeated it. The reporting does not allege any criminal conduct by Branson, and the Virgin Group says he and his wife saw Epstein only a few times, more than 12 years ago.
There's an older stain too. In 2017 a backup singer for Joss Stone alleged Branson tried to persuade her to show her breasts and pressed his face against them at a 2010 party on Necker Island. Branson said he had no recollection of it, and a spokeswoman said he apologised if anyone felt that way. No court has decided it, and it never became a case.
On the harm test he does well where it counts. In 2019, after Brunei brought in the death penalty for gay sex, he wrote a blog urging business leaders to use their clout against such laws, joined by 20 other executives. The wobble is Saudi Arabia: in April 2025 he said gay people there are not being prosecuted and told Globetrender that nobody he knew had had any issues, and critics called that glib. In 2018 he did suspend talks on Saudi investment in Virgin Galactic after journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared.
Business-wise, a federal judge ruled in 2022 that Branson had to face a shareholder suit over Virgin Galactic. Shareholders alleged he concealed safety problems and sold shares, which he and the company contested. In May 2026 the company announced a settlement of related derivative actions; the sources I opened don't show a finding against him personally.
So: a bloke with a long record of standing up for LGBTQ+ people in public, and a few things that sit awkwardly beside it. The Epstein emails look more like a tone-deaf host than a co-conspirator, going by what's been reported, but the "harem" line is a bad look and the Saudi comments are hard to love. We'd lean towards support, with eyes open.