Leslie H. Wexner, the longtime leader of a retail empire that includes Victoria’s Secret who is under scrutiny for his ties to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, has been in discussions to step aside as chief executive of the L Brands parent company, according to one current and one former executive who spoke on condition of anonymity to talk about internal deliberations.

Mr. Wexner, 82, has sought to distance himself from Mr. Epstein — even addressing the relationship at an annual investor meeting in September — since Mr. Epstein was arrested in July and charged with sex trafficking involving girls as young as 14. Mr. Wexner has emphasized that he had no knowledge of the alleged activities. Mr. Epstein died in August in what authorities said was an apparent suicide.

But Mr. Wexner came under intense pressure for having employed Mr. Epstein as a personal adviser for years and handing him sweeping powers over his finances, philanthropy and private life. Mr. Epstein was empowered to borrow money on behalf of Mr. Wexner and sign Mr. Wexner’s tax returns, as well as hire people and make acquisitions. Over the years, Mr. Epstein obtained a mansion in Manhattan, a luxury estate in Ohio and a private plane — possessions worth roughly $100 million together today — that had previously been owned by Mr. Wexner or his companies.

News of the relationship spurred chaos inside a company that was already struggling to keep up with changing beauty ideals among American women and had only recently made board changes at the behest of an activist investor. According to the former executive, Mr. Wexner has also explored a partial sale of L Brands.