Background
Epstein was born on December 29, 1973, to a secular Jewish family in New York City and raised in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Epstein has a fraternal twin brother, Paul, who is a high school guidance counselor in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Epstein's grandfather, Philip G. Epstein, and great-uncle, Julius J. Epstein – with Howard E. Koch – won Academy Awards for the screenplay of Casablanca, while his father, novelist Leslie Epstein, heads the Creative Writing Program at Boston University. His mother, Ilene (Gradman), opened a clothing store. Epstein's sister, Anya, is a screenwriter and television producer (Homicide: Life on the Street and Tell Me You Love Me).