Billionaire philanthropist Melinda French Gates has said the appearance of her former husband, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, in newly released files linked to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein has revived "very, very painful times" from their marriage. Speaking to NPR's Wild Card podcast, Melinda Gates said the disclosures left her with "Unbelievable sadness" and reminded her of difficulties she experienced before the couple's divorce in 2021, after 27 years of marriage.
"For me, it's personally hard whenever those details come up, right? Because it brings back memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage," she said, adding: "I am so happy to be away from all the much."
She stressed that responsibility for addressing questions arising from the files lay with those named in them.“Whatever questions remain there… those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband. They need to answer to those things, not me,” she said.
The comments followed the release of more than three million documents by the US Department of Justice relating to Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. Epstein had previously been convicted in 2008 of soliciting sex from a 14-year-old girl.
Among the records are allegations attributed to Epstein claiming Bill Gates contracted a sexually transmitted disease. Gates has not been accused of wrongdoing by any of Epstein’s victims, and his inclusion in the files does not imply criminal activity.
In a statement to the BBC, a spokesperson for Bill Gates said the Microsoft co-founder never attended parties with Epstein and had no involvement in any illegal activities linked to him. “While Mr Gates acknowledges that meeting with Epstein was a serious error in judgment, he unequivocally denies any improper conduct,” the statement said.
Bill Gates also addressed the issue in an interview with Australia’s 9News, saying 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.
Two emails dated July 2013, which appear to have been drafted by Epstein but were never sent, are among the documents. The emails, sent from and to Epstein’s own account, contain claims about Bill Gates that his representatives have described as false and defamatory.
A spokesperson for Gates said the documents showed only Epstein’s frustration at failing to maintain a relationship with him, adding: “These claims, from a proven, disgruntled liar, are absolutely absurd and completely false.”
US media reports have previously said Melinda French Gates was troubled by her husband’s association with Epstein before their separation. After the divorce announcement, Bill Gates acknowledged having had an affair with a Microsoft employee in 2019, but has consistently sought to downplay his limited past contact with Epstein.
