Bill Gates says he deeply regrets his past interactions with disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, calling his decision to spend time with him a “mistake” that he now wishes he had never made.
In an interview aired Wednesday with 9 News Australia, the Microsoft co-founder addressed renewed scrutiny following the release of more than three million pages of documents related to Epstein. The latest disclosures have reignited questions about Epstein’s relationships with powerful figures across politics, business, and philanthropy.
“I was foolish to spend time with him,” Gates said. “He knew a lot of very rich people and he was saying he could get them to give money to global health. In retrospect, that was a dead end, and I was foolish to spend time with him.”
Gates said he first met Epstein in 2011 and that their interactions consisted only of dinners focused on business and philanthropy. According to Gates, the meetings ended in 2014.
“It’s factually true that I was only at dinners,” Gates said. “I never went to the island. I never met any women.”
Gates also denied allegations that have circulated following the latest document release, including claims tied to a 2013 email Epstein allegedly wrote to himself. In that email, Epstein claimed Gates had contracted a sexually transmitted disease after encounters with “Russian girls” and sought to conceal it from his wife by slipping her antibiotics.
“Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself,” Gates said. “That email was never sent. The email is false.”
A spokesperson for Gates previously dismissed the claims outright, calling them “absolutely absurd and completely false.”
Gates acknowledged that his association with Epstein has been a source of lasting regret, particularly given Epstein’s criminal history and the scale of abuse later revealed.
“I was one of many people who regret ever knowing him,” Gates said. “Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologize that I did that.”
Melinda French Gates, Gates’ ex-wife, also addressed the renewed attention surrounding Epstein’s associates, saying that Gates and others connected to Epstein “need to answer to those things.”
The comments mark Gates’ first public response since the latest trove of Epstein-related documents became public. As additional records continue to surface, scrutiny remains intense over how Epstein cultivated relationships with influential figures — and how those figures now account for their ties to him.
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this is absolute BS Gates is a LIAR
He’s only sorry because he got caught!
Gates regrets every minute spent with Epstein because now with all this publicity, the whole world sees the real Bill Gates !!!
Gates has been a liar for a long time. Does he regret the STD he got from a Russian woman? Does he regret the sex parties with underage girls?
As certain people have said before: “Gag me with a spoon”.