Bill Gates apologizes to staff and addresses Epstein ties in foundation town hall
Bill Gates told employees of his charitable foundation that he took responsibility for his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, apologizing for mistakes and answering detailed questions at a town hall. The exchange matters now because newly released files from the US Department of Justice and other materials have prompted renewed scrutiny of Gates’s contacts with Epstein and led to internal explanations about what happened and why.
Bill Gates addresses Epstein ties at a foundation town hall
The Microsoft co‑founder, aged 70, spoke at a scheduled town hall the foundation holds twice a year and addressed staff questions on a range of topics, including the release of Epstein files, the foundation’s work in AI and the future of global health. A foundation spokesperson said Gates "spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions. " The reviewed a recording of the town hall and relayed several of Gates’s remarks.
Admissions: two affairs with Russian women and a public apology
Gates acknowledged he had two affairs while married to Melinda French Gates: one with a Russian bridge player and one with a Russian nuclear physicist. He apologized to staff for actions he called a mistake and said, "I apologise to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made. " He also insisted he did not participate in Epstein’s crimes and said: "I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit. "
Timeline: meetings from 2011 to 2014 and the earlier Epstein conviction
Gates said his first meeting with Epstein took place in 2011, years after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution, and that he continued to meet with Epstein through 2014. He described being aware of some "18‑month thing" that limited Epstein’s travel but acknowledged he did not properly check Epstein’s background. Gates told staff he never stayed overnight at Epstein’s properties and never visited Epstein’s island.
Images, emails and the Department of Justice files
The US Department of Justice released a trove of Epstein files that has drawn fresh attention to the relationship. Those files include images of Gates with women whose faces are redacted and emails in which Epstein made scandalous claims; one document suggested Gates contracted a sexually transmitted infection and sought antibiotics to give to his then‑wife, an allegation Gates has denied. The Gates Foundation has called such assertions "absolutely absurd and completely false. " An image from the files was released by the US House Oversight Committee in December, and the DOJ file release in January prompted the town hall discussion.
Epstein’s interactions with Gates and attempts to leverage information
Gates recounted that Epstein told him about intimate relationships with other wealthy men and suggested he could help raise money for charitable causes. Emails and other materials in the files show Epstein tried to involve Gates in a proposed charity fund with JPMorgan Chase and other billionaire donors. Epstein later learned of Gates’s affairs and, in the mid‑2010s, attempted to use that knowledge in a threatening way; the Journal has detailed an attempt by Epstein to extort Gates over an alleged affair with the bridge player Mila Antonova when Gates declined Epstein’s fundraising proposal.
Foundation context, family reaction and public posture
Gates established the philanthropic organisation with Melinda French Gates; the couple divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage. Melinda has said the release of the Epstein files dredged up "painful times in my marriage. " Gates reiterated at the town hall that he never spent time with Epstein’s victims, stating, "To be clear, I never spent any time with victims, the women around him. " What makes this notable is the mix of personal admissions, denials of criminal involvement and the presence of documentary material from the DOJ and congressional releases that together have sharpened internal and public scrutiny.
The foundation’s spokespeople emphasized that the town hall was a regular staff event and that Gates addressed submitted questions; employees were briefed on how the organisation will manage reputational sensitivity as the materials remain under public review.
