Melinda French Gates has said the re-appearance of her former husband Bill Gates’s name in newly released Jeffrey Epstein records has re-opened painful chapters from their marriage, describing the moment as one of “unbelievable sadness”.
Speaking on NPR’s Wild Card podcast, the billionaire philanthropist said the disclosures brought back “very, very painful times” and stressed that those named in the files must answer questions for themselves. “Whatever questions remain, those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband. They need to answer to those things, not me,” she said.
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The comments follow the release of more than 3 million documents by the United States Department of Justice connected to the late financier and convicted sex offender Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder, appears in the files, though he has not been accused of wrongdoing by Epstein’s victims and his inclusion does not imply criminal activity.
Some of the documents include claims written by Epstein himself, including allegations that Gates contracted a sexually transmitted disease. Gates’s representatives have firmly rejected the claims.
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“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 spokesperson for Bill Gates said. The claims, they added, are “absolutely absurd and completely false”.
In an interview with 9News Australia, Gates said his interactions with Epstein were limited to dinners and that he never visited Epstein’s private island. “Every minute I spent with him I regret and I apologise that I did that,” he said.
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Among the newly released records are two emails dated July 2013 that appear to have been drafted by Epstein. Both were sent from and to Epstein’s own email account and are unsigned. There is no visible email address linked to Gates, and it remains unclear whether the messages were ever sent.
One email is framed as a mock resignation letter from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and makes explicit claims about Gates’s personal life. The second, addressed “dear Bill”, alleges efforts to conceal a sexually transmitted infection, including from Melinda French Gates. Gates has said the email was never sent and that its contents are false.
The Gateses divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage. United States media have previously reported that Melinda French Gates was unhappy about her husband’s association with Epstein before their separation. After the divorce was announced, Gates acknowledged having had an affair with a Microsoft employee in 2019.
Reflecting on the renewed scrutiny, Gates said she was relieved to have moved on. “I am so happy to be away from all the muck,” she told the podcast.
The newly released files offer a broader picture of Epstein’s extensive network, revealing contacts with prominent figures across business, politics and celebrity circles, some of whom maintained ties with him even after his 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from a 14-year-old girl.
