Parents across the country have urged legislators to cut ties with school photo giant Lifetouch after the Epstein files renewed attention on Leon Black, a billionaire financier with documented ties to Jeffrey Epstein whose firm owns Lifetouch’s parent company.
Black, the cofounder and former CEO of Apollo Global Management, paid Epstein $158 million for tax and estate planning advice between 2012 and 2017, according to an investigation commissioned by Apollo. Apollo owns Shutterfly, Lifetouch’s parent company, through a 2019 acquisition. (RELATED: DOJ Allegedly Monitoring Lawmakers Accessing Epstein Records)
Epstein also served as director of Black’s family foundation from 1997 until 2007, according to the foundation, though his name continued to appear on its tax filings until 2012.
Schools all over the U.S. are cancelling picture day due to Leon Black, the co-founder of the parent company that owns Lifetouch, being listed in the Epstein Files.
Lifetouch is the biggest school picture company in America and photographs millions of kids every year. pic.twitter.com/QnWTKeA1Vg
— Pubity (@pubity) February 12, 2026
A MoveOn petition titled “End Lifetouch Contracts With USA Public Schools Immediately and Demand Our Kids’ Data” has received over 4,100 signatures. The petition is addressed to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and others.
Schools across the country have canceled picture days “out of an abundance of caution” and launched investigations into Lifetouch, according to HuffPost.
Lifetouch CEO Ken Murphy released a statement in response to the rumors.
“Funds managed by subsidiaries of Apollo Global Management are investors in Shutterfly, the parent company of Lifetouch. Neither Apollo nor its funds are involved in the day-to-day operations of Lifetouch and therefore no one employed by Apollo has ever had access to any student images,” Murphy said. “Lifetouch is not named in the Epstein files. The documents contain no allegations that Lifetouch itself was involved in, or that student photos were used in, any illicit activities.”