Dr. Jay Varma, New York City’s former Covid-19 chief under Mayor Bill de Blasio, has been fired from his role as executive vice president and chief medical officer at SIGA Technologies. His termination follows the release of videos showing Varma discussing his attendance at sex parties during the pandemic lockdown.
The conservative podcaster Steven Crowder posted the videos last Thursday, which included Varma describing events he attended in 2020, including a sex party he and his wife hosted and a rave under a bank.
An SEC filing on Monday confirmed Varma’s termination, which was effective immediately. Despite his dismissal being “other than for cause,” the timing followed a surge of criticism for the former health official, who played a key role in implementing New York City’s Covid-19 response from April 2020 to May 2021.
During his tenure, Varma helped enforce strict public health measures, including vaccine mandates that caused controversy, particularly when NBA player Kyrie Irving was barred from playing home games due to his refusal to vaccinate. Around 1,500 city employees also lost their jobs for not complying with the mandate.
In the videos, Varma admitted to attending two sex parties in August and November of 2020, stating, “The only way I could do this job for the City is if I could blow off steam every now and then.” His representative, Chris Vlasto, confirmed these events but argued that the gatherings did not violate any public health guidelines in place at the time.
Varma issued a statement addressing the controversy, claiming his conversations were “secretly recorded, spliced, diced, and taken out of context.” He admitted to poor judgment but stood by his work in saving lives during the pandemic and promoting vaccination. However, he has faced harsh criticism for the disconnect between his public policies and private actions.
Conservative Councilmember Robert Holden called Varma’s firing “long overdue” and accused him of hypocrisy. Holden and the Common Sense Caucus have used the scandal to advocate for reinstating city workers who were terminated over vaccine refusal, citing Varma’s actions as proof of inconsistent leadership.
Varma, who transitioned to SIGA Technologies in 2023 after leaving city government, had also previously served as the director of the Cornell Center for Pandemic Prevention and Response.
Neither Varma nor SIGA have responded to requests for comment on the termination.
