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Bill Gates Denies Epstein Allegations as New Files Reignite Scrutiny
Bill Gates maintains that further disclosures will only reinforce his denial. “The more that comes out,” he said, “the clearer it will be that although knowing him was a mistake, it had nothing to do with that behaviour.”
Microsoft founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has publicly denied sensational allegations contained in newly released Jeffrey Epstein files, describing them as false and deeply regrettable reminders of a relationship he now calls a serious mistake.
The controversy stems from a batch of documents released by the US Justice Department, part of millions of pages linked to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Among them is a 2013 email Epstein wrote to himself, claiming Bill Gates contracted a sexually transmitted disease during alleged encounters with women and sought antibiotics to secretly give to his then-wife, Melinda French Gates.
In an interview with Australia’s Nine News, Bill Gates categorically rejected the claims. “The email is false,” he said, stressing that it was never sent and reflected Epstein’s own motives rather than reality. Gates added that he does not understand why Epstein wrote the email, but acknowledged his long-standing regret over associating with him at all.
Gates: “I Regret Every Minute I Spent With Him”
Bill Gates confirmed that he met Epstein several times after Epstein’s 2008 conviction, primarily at dinners where philanthropy and global health funding were discussed. However, he insisted the relationship never went beyond that.
“I never went to the island. I never met any women,” Bill Gates said, referring to Epstein’s private Caribbean property that has become synonymous with abuse allegations. “The time I spent with him was a mistake, but it had nothing to do with that kind of behaviour.”
A spokesperson for Bill Gates had earlier dismissed the allegations as “absolutely absurd and completely false,” suggesting the documents show Epstein’s frustration at losing access to Gates and his attempts to defame him.
Melinda French Gates Calls for Accountability
The renewed focus on Epstein has also drawn responses from Bill Gates’s former wife, Melinda French Gates. Speaking on NPR’s Wild Card podcast, she said the revelations brought back “very painful times” from their 27-year marriage, which ended in divorce in 2021.
“Whatever questions remain there… those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband,” she said. “They need to answer to those things, not me.”
Melinda French Gates described feeling “unbelievable sadness” upon learning of the allegations, while emphasizing the broader human cost of Epstein’s crimes. She later left the Gates Foundation in 2024, despite the couple’s initial plan to continue working together philanthropically.
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Epstein Files and Public Reckoning
Being named in the Epstein files does not imply criminal wrongdoing, a point repeatedly stressed by legal experts and investigators. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges, with Ghislaine Maxwell remaining the only person convicted in connection with his crimes.
As scrutiny intensifies, Bill Gates maintains that further disclosures will only reinforce his denial. “The more that comes out,” he said, “the clearer it will be that although knowing him was a mistake, it had nothing to do with that behaviour.”
