Bill Gates Admits Affairs, Apologizes to Foundation Staff Over Jeffrey Epstein Ties

Bill Gates has acknowledged having two affairs with Russian women during his marriage to Melinda French Gates and apologized to staff at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for his past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

Speaking at a staff town hall on Tuesday, Feb. 24, the Microsoft co-founder said he “did nothing illicit” and denied being involved in any illegal activity related to Epstein. According to a recording reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, Gates told employees, “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit.”

A spokesperson said the town hall was a regularly scheduled meeting where Gates answered questions from foundation staff. Topics included the release of Epstein-related documents, the foundation’s work in artificial intelligence, and the future of global health.

Affairs and Email Allegations

Gates confirmed during the meeting that he had affairs with two Russian women while married. He described one as a “Russian bridge player” he met at bridge events and the other as a Russian nuclear physicist he met through business connections. He said Epstein later learned about the relationships.

The renewed scrutiny comes after the U.S. Justice Department released documents that included draft emails written by Epstein. In those emails, Epstein allegedly claimed that Gates contracted a sexually transmitted infection from “Russian girls” and sought his help to conceal it from his then-wife.

A spokesperson for Gates has previously called those claims “absolutely absurd and completely false.”

“A Huge Mistake” to Meet Epstein

Epstein, who died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, had pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution. Gates said he first met Epstein in 2011 and continued to see him until 2014.

“It was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein,” Gates said during the town hall. He added that he never spent time with Epstein’s victims and never stayed overnight at any of Epstein’s properties, including his private island.

Gates also admitted he did not fully investigate Epstein’s background at the time, though he was aware of what he described as an “18-month thing” that had limited Epstein’s travel.

“Knowing what I know now makes it a hundred times worse,” Gates said, referring to Epstein’s crimes and later revelations of ongoing misconduct.

Apology to Staff and Foundation Impact

Gates apologized to foundation employees for the reputational impact of his past actions.

“I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made,” he said.

He acknowledged that the controversy has cast a shadow over the foundation’s work, which focuses on global health, poverty reduction, and education.

“It definitely is the opposite of the values of the Foundation and the goals of the Foundation,” Gates said. “Our work is very reputationally sensitive. People can choose to work with us or not work with us.”

Melinda French Gates’ Concerns

Gates credited his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, for being “skeptical” of Epstein. The couple divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage. She has recently said publicly that Gates needed to “answer” for his past connections with Epstein.

Gates has previously said he met Epstein in hopes of securing donations for global health initiatives, describing the effort as “a dead end” in hindsight.

The latest revelations come as renewed public attention surrounds Epstein-related documents and the powerful figures once connected to him.