In a recent interview, the ex-wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, has publicly addressed her ex-husband’s past interactions with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saying that it reminds her of very painful times in my marriage.”
The U.S. Department of Justice’s release late last month of more than 3 million pages of files related to the Epstein investigation has triggered a fresh wave of scrutiny over Epstein’s relationships with powerful figures, including Bill Gates.
Among the materials are draft emails from 2013 from Epstein’s own account that make lurid claims about Gates’s personal life and suggest possible marital discord involving Melinda, allegations that Gates’s spokesperson has vehemently denied as false and defamatory.
Although she stopped short of detailing specific allegations, French Gates emphasized to NPR that questions about what happened with Epstein and her ex-husband were not hers to answer but rather those of Bill Gates and others directly involved. “Whatever questions remain … those questions are for those people, and for even my ex-husband,” she said, noting she was grateful to be “away from all the muck that was there.”
@npr Melinda French Gates responds to allegations involving her ex-husband, Bill Gates, in the Epstein files released on Jan. 30, 2026. Tune in to the full Wild Card episode on Thurs, Feb. 5.
French Gates also expressed empathy for Epstein’s survivors, framing the controversy as part of a broader societal reckoning with how powerful men’s actions have affected countless young women and girls. “No girl should ever be put in the situation that they were put in by Epstein and whatever was going on with all of the various people around him,” she said, describing the situation as “beyond heartbreaking.”
Gates broke his own silence in an interview with Australia’s 9 News. He told the Australian news network that he met Epstein several times between 2011 and 2014 and expressed remorse for ever knowing him. “Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologize that I did that,” Gates said.
“In retrospect, that was a dead end, and I was foolish to spend time with him.” However, according to reporting by NPR, Epstein had been convicted in 2008 of procuring prostitution from a minor, yet Gates’s meetings began several years after that conviction.
He claimed the meetings were centered on discussions about philanthropy and global health initiatives after Epstein suggested he could introduce Gates to wealthy contacts. The Microsoft co-founder emphasized in the interview that he never engaged in any events or parties connected to Epstein’s criminal activities, and he denied visiting Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Gates also addressed claims contained within the newly released files, including draft emails reportedly written by Epstein suggesting Gates contracted a sexually transmitted infection and attempted to conceal it from Melinda. Gates’s spokesperson called those allegations “absurd and completely false,” noting that the draft emails were never sent and may have been attempts by Epstein to manipulate narratives about their relationship.
