Robert Lawrence Kuhn is an American author, international corporate strategist, and television host who received at least $650,000 in funding from Jeffrey Epstein's Gratitude America Ltd between 2017 and 2018, with $1.4 million committed in total. Kuhn hosts "Closer to China with R.L. Kuhn" on CGTN (China Global Television Network), China's state-run English-language broadcaster, and previously hosted "Closer to Truth" on PBS, a long-running science and philosophy series.
Epstein's funding was directed toward producing episodes of Closer to Truth, though the funded episodes were never completed. In December 2018, Epstein introduced Kuhn to Nicole Junkermann to help facilitate the sale of her stake in Really Sports, a Shanghai-based sportswear company, leveraging Kuhn's extensive China business connections. Kuhn received the China Reform Friendship Medal from Xi Jinping in 2018, one of the highest honors bestowed on foreigners by the Chinese government.
DOJ-released emails show Kuhn regularly provided Epstein with China analysis and briefings. There are also references in the document record to an "Arina" being placed on CGTN programming through the Kuhn-Epstein connection. Kuhn appears in over 570 OCR documents and 733 document-person links in the Epstein file archive, reflecting a sustained multi-year relationship.