Billionaire philanthropist Melinda French Gates has described the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents naming her former husband, Bill Gates, as resurfacing “very painful times” from their marriage. Speaking on NPR’s Wild Card podcast, she said the revelations caused her “unbelievable sadness” and stressed that questions about the documents must be addressed by those named, not her.
French Gates and Bill Gates divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage. The documents, released by the U.S. Department of Justice, include claims by Epstein concerning Gates, such as an allegation that Gates contracted a sexually transmitted disease. Gates has denied the claims, with a spokesperson calling them “absolutely absurd” and “completely false.”
No Epstein victim has accused Gates of wrongdoing, and his inclusion in the files does not imply criminal activity. French Gates said the situation is personally difficult, bringing back painful memories from her marriage, and emphasized that unresolved questions regarding Epstein’s network are not hers to answer.
The documents reportedly include emails from 2013 drafted by Epstein, one claiming Gates required medicine “to deal with the consequences of sex with Russian girls” and another alleging he tried to conceal a sexually transmitted infection. Gates and his representatives maintain that his interactions with Epstein were limited to a few dinners regarding a philanthropic initiative that never materialized.
Epstein, who had an extensive network of politicians, business leaders, and celebrities, died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
