Bill Gates Apologizes to Foundation Staff and Takes Responsibility Over Epstein Ties
At a foundation town hall this week, bill gates apologised to staff and acknowledged personal mistakes tied to his meetings with Jeffrey Epstein, saying he had two affairs and that spending time with Epstein was a "huge mistake. " The disclosure follows renewed scrutiny after a release of files by the US Department of Justice in January and images from the files previously shared by the US House Oversight Committee.
Town hall with Bill Gates
The Gates Foundation described the meeting as a scheduled town hall that Bill Gates holds twice a year. The foundation said he "spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, " and that he "took responsibility for his actions. " A recording reviewed by the captured Gates apologising to foundation staff and answering submitted questions about the release of the Epstein files, the foundation's work in AI, and the future of global health.
Jeffrey Epstein files and the Department of Justice release
The matter drew renewed attention after the US Department of Justice released files in January. Those files include images of Gates with women whose faces are redacted; Gates said Epstein asked him to take some of those photographs with his assistants after meetings. The US House Oversight Committee had previously released an image from the Epstein files in December last year.
Timeline: meetings beginning in 2011 and continuing through 2014
Gates said he first met Epstein in 2011, years after Epstein had pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution. Gates acknowledged he was aware of an "18-month thing" that had limited Epstein's travel but said he did not properly check Epstein's background. He continued to meet Epstein through 2014, including on trips abroad, while saying he "never stayed overnight" or visited Epstein's island.
Admissions: two affairs with Russian women and denied criminal involvement
At the town hall, Gates admitted to two affairs with Russian women — identifying one as a bridge player he met at bridge events and another as a nuclear physicist he met through business activities — and said Epstein later became aware of them. He told staff, "I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit, " and added that he "never spent any time with victims, the women around him. "
The released files also contained emails Epstein wrote to himself that claimed Gates had contracted a sexually transmitted infection and requested antibiotics to give to his then-wife, Melinda; Gates has denied that allegation. The has said Epstein tried to leverage knowledge of one affair, involving the bridge player Mila Antonova, to pressure Gates after Gates declined to join a multibillion-dollar charity fund Epstein proposed. "The tone of the message was that Epstein knew about the affair and could expose it, " the reporting stated.
Gates Foundation response and reputational concerns
A foundation spokesperson reiterated that the meeting was a routine town hall and emphasised Gates's candor in answering staff questions. Gates acknowledged the relationship with Epstein was "the opposite of the values of the Foundation and the goals of the Foundation, " noting the organisation's work is "very reputational sensitive" and that others may choose whether to work with the foundation.
That reputational sensitivity intersects with personal history: Gates established the philanthropic organisation alongside his then-wife, Melinda French Gates. The couple divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage. Melinda said on an NPR podcast this month that the latest release of files had dredged up "painful times in my marriage. "
What makes this notable is the convergence of personal admissions, documentary evidence released by the Justice Department and congressional committees, and the leader of a major philanthropic organisation directly addressing staff about the consequences. The town hall combined specific admissions — two affairs and meetings extending from 2011 to 2014 — with denials of criminal involvement and repeated assurances about not having contact with Epstein's victims.
Unclear in the provided context: how foundation partners, grantees or external donors will react in concrete terms beyond Gates's acknowledgement of reputational sensitivity.
