The New York Times is reaffirming the accuracy of a 2023 profile on Elizabeth Holmes following claims made in a new documentary, You Can See Everything. The film features the disgraced Theranos founder disputing a quote attributed to her regarding actors portraying her life story.
In the 2023 profile, reporter Amy Chozick wrote that Holmes said of actors playing her: “They’re not playing me. They’re playing a character I created.” Holmes contends she actually said, “They’re playing a character they created.”
Context of the Dispute
The exchange occurred during an informal walk in Del Mar, California, six weeks before Holmes began her prison sentence for fraud. Chozick, who is no longer with The Times, stated that she recorded the quote in her reporter’s notebook immediately after Holmes spoke. While Chozick did not record the conversation on audio, she noted that she flagged the quote in her notebook at the time as a significant moment.
The documentary features Holmes’s partner, Billy Evans, who claims they recorded all interviews with Chozick. However, The Times notes that an 80-second audio clip provided by Evans in 2023 did not contain the disputed exchange. Chozick confirmed that while she recorded formal interviews at a kitchen table, she often relied on handwritten notes for more candid, off-the-record moments.
The Times editors reviewed the reporting when the dispute first arose in 2023 and concluded the quote was accurate. Chozick, who no longer possesses the physical notebook, expressed regret that she did not keep it, but maintains that the quote accurately reflects the extensive conversations she had with Holmes regarding the persona adopted during her time at Theranos.
