Dr Jay Varma, a former New York City official who played a key role in coordinating the city’s pandemic response, was terminated from his position as executive vice president and chief medical officer at SIGA Technologies, a New York-based pharmaceutical company.
The decision was disclosed in a filing with the US securities and exchange commission on Monday, following the release of a hidden-camera video showing Varma discussing his attendance at a sex party and other private gatherings during a time when the city was urging people to practice social distancing.
During his tenure as a senior public health adviser to then-Mayor Bill de Blasio from April 2020 to May 2021, Varma frequently appeared alongside the Democratic mayor at press briefings to discuss the city’s Covid-19 response. He was instrumental in developing programs and strategies to combat the virus, including encouraging the public to wear masks, get tested regularly, and get vaccinated once vaccines became available.
In the edited recording posted by podcaster Steven Crowder, Varma can be heard speaking casually to a woman about attending gatherings while serving as a face of the city’s pandemic response. “I did all this deviant, sexual stuff while I was on TV and people were like, ‘Aren’t you afraid? Aren’t you embarrassed?'” he said. “And I was like, no, I really like being my authentic self.” Varma also acknowledged the potential consequences of his actions, stating, “It would have been a big deal,” and “It would have been a real embarrassment.”
While Varma declined to comment on his termination, he acknowledged the authenticity of the video in a statement provided by a spokesperson, taking responsibility for not using the best judgment at the time and noting that the recordings were “secretly recorded, spliced, diced, and taken out of context.”
In the video, Varma referenced attending at least three private gatherings during his City Hall tenure, including a hotel room party in August 2020 with 8 to 10 people, a drug-fueled dance party with roughly 200 people in May or June of 2021, and expressed concern about being spotted at these events.
Mayor Eric Adams declined to comment on the controversy, while some local conservatives called for a government inquiry, with City Council Member Robert Holden applauding Varma’s firing and stating, “The hypocrisy is outrageous.”
Varma defended his efforts to respond to the pandemic in his statement, denouncing the video as part of “dangerous extremist efforts to undermine the public’s confidence” in vaccines. He emphasised that facing the greatest public health crisis in a century, the top priority was to save lives, and every decision made was based on the best available science to keep New Yorkers safe.
