Bill Gates recently apologized to the staff of the Gates Foundation, admitting to two affairs with Russian women and taking responsibility for his association with Jeffrey Epstein, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. He reiterated that he never spent any time with Epstein’s victims, but acknowledged that his past mistakes have cast a shadow over the philanthropic organization.
During a town hall meeting, the Microsoft co-founderrevealed that he had affairs with a Russian bridge player he met at bridge events and a Russian nuclear physicist he met through business activities. Gates stated, “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” regarding his interactions with Epstein. He clarified that images in the recently released Epstein files, showing him with redacted women, were pictures Epstein asked him to take with his assistants after their meetings.
Gates openly admitted that it was a “huge mistake to spend time with Epstein” and to involve Gates Foundation executives in meetings with the convicted sex offender. He extended an apology to others who were drawn into the situation because of his error.
This whole situation is definitely a tough pill to swallow, and it’s clear that Gates understands the gravity of it
The billionaire explained that he began meeting with Epstein in 2011, years after Epstein had pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution. Gates mentioned he was aware of “some 18-month thing” that had restricted Epstein’s travel but confessed he didn’t properly check his background. He even continued these meetings despite his then-wife, Melinda French Gates, expressing concerns as early as 2013. “To give her credit, she was always kind of skeptical about the Epstein thing,” Gates told his staff.
It turns out Epstein allegedly leveraged his knowledge of Gates’s affairs. In 2023, it was reported that Epstein used this information to threaten Gates. The bridge player, whom Gates met around 2010 when she was in her 20s, later met Epstein in 2013. Epstein then paid for her to attend a software coding school and later emailed Gates in 2017, demanding reimbursement for the course.
Emails from the Justice Department files, recently disclosed, included two messages Epstein sent to himself in July 2013. These appeared to be drafts of a resignation letter from Boris Nikolic, who was Gates’s science adviser and close to both Gates and Epstein. One email referenced a Gates “marital dispute” and claimed the author had facilitated “illicit trysts.” Gates confirmed that Nikolic knew of his affairs and had informed Epstein about them. Nikolic, however, previously stated that the July 2013 emails “were not written on my behalf or at my request.”
Gates continued meeting with Epstein through 2014, flying on a private jet with him and spending time together in Germany, France, New York, and Washington. He emphasized, “I never stayed overnight,” and never visited Epstein’s notorious island. He said Epstein “talked about the kind of intimate relationship he had with a lot of billionaires, particularly Wall Street billionaires,” suggesting he could help raise money for global health causes.
Gates admitted that the presence of other prestigious people at these meetings “made it easier for me to feel like this was a normalized situation.” He now realizes that his association unintentionally helped Epstein burnish his own reputation.
Published: Feb 25, 2026 01:00 pm