Bill Gates has broken his silence after his wife, Melinda French Gates, asked him for answers over his name in the controversial Epstein files.
In an interview with 9News Australia, Gates expressed regret over the time he spent with Jeffrey Epstein, saying that “Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologise.”
“That email was never sent. The email is false. I don’t know what his thinking was there. Was he trying to attack me in some way?” he added.
“The only thing these documents demonstrate is Epstein’s frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame,” a Gates spokesperson said.
Bill Gates revealed in the interview that “The focus was always, he knew a lot of very rich people, and he was saying he could get them to give money to global health. In retrospect, that was a dead end.”ce for the women.”
Bill Gates has to answer for being in the Epstein files: Melinda Gates
Melinda French Gates has spoken publicly for the first time since newly released Justice Department files related to Jeffrey Epstein referenced her former husband, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
In an interview on NPR’s Wild Card podcast on Tuesday, French Gates said she felt “unbelievable sadness” upon seeing Bill Gates’ name mentioned in the documents, which were made public last Friday.
“Whatever questions remain there … for those people, and even for my ex-husband, they need to answer those questions themselves, not me,” she said. “I’m very grateful to be removed from all the mess that surrounded that time.”
French Gates said that the harm suffered by Epstein’s victims, saying no young girl should ever have been subjected to what occurred. “It’s beyond heartbreaking,” she said. “I remember being those ages. I remember my daughters being those ages.”
Bill Gates was among several wealthy and influential men named in millions of pages of files connected to Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Some of the documents include emails Epstein sent to himself in 2013, in which he implied that Gates was engaged in an extramarital affair and seeking illicit drugs. A spokesperson for Gates strongly denied the allegations, calling them “absolutely absurd and completely false.” The statement said the emails reflect Epstein’s frustration over not having an ongoing relationship with Gates and an attempt to defame him.
In one email, Epstein claimed he resigned from roles connected to the Gates Foundation and BG3, a think tank founded by Gates, after becoming entangled in what he described as a serious marital dispute between Bill and Melinda Gates. He referred to Gates as a close friend and alleged that he had been asked to assist with actions he described as morally and ethically inappropriate, and at times potentially illegal. These claims included obtaining drugs and facilitating affairs—allegations that remain unproven.
Melinda and Bill Gates divorce
Melinda and Bill Gates were married for 27 years before divorcing in 2021. French Gates later revealed that Gates had an affair with a Microsoft employee in 2019. She stepped down as co-chair of the Gates Foundation in 2024. Gates publicly acknowledged the affair and accepted responsibility for the pain it caused his family.
Reflecting on the newly released files, French Gates said the revelations reopened painful memories from her marriage. “I had to leave my marriage. I wanted to leave my marriage. I eventually felt I needed to leave the foundation,” she said. “It’s just sad.”
Other prominent figures mentioned in the Epstein files include President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, former President Bill Clinton, and Prince Andrew. All have denied wrongdoing and have not been charged with crimes related to Epstein. Prince Andrew, while not criminally charged, lost his royal titles and residence due to his association with Epstein.
Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former partner, remains the only person convicted in connection with his crimes.
Despite the renewed attention, French Gates said she has moved forward with her life. “I pushed it away and moved on,” she said. “I’m in a really unexpected, beautiful place now. And I hope there is justice for the women.”
