Bill Gates Says He Regrets “Every Minute” Spent with Jeffrey Epstein: “I Was Foolish”
Bill Gates is once again addressing his past association with Jeffrey Epstein, saying he deeply regrets spending any time with the disgraced financier.
In an interview with 9 News Australia published Wednesday, February 4, the 70-year-old Microsoft co-founder said he was “foolish” to engage with Epstein and apologized for the decision, following the recent release of U.S. Department of Justice documents that renewed scrutiny of Epstein’s network.
“Every minute I spent with him, I regret,” Gates said. “I apologize that I did that.”
Speaking with political editor Charles Croucher, Gates denied allegations referenced in draft emails attributed to Epstein, including claims involving women or accusations that he concealed a sexually transmitted disease during his marriage to Melinda French Gates.
“Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself. That email was never sent,” Gates explained. “The email is false. I don’t know what his thinking was. Was he trying to attack me in some way?”
Gates said he first met Epstein in 2011 and described their interactions as limited to dinners that took place over several years, ending around 2014. According to Gates, the conversations focused on potential philanthropic fundraising for global health initiatives.
“He knew a lot of very wealthy people and suggested he could help raise money for global health,” Gates said. “In retrospect, that went nowhere. It was a dead end.”
Gates also firmly denied ever visiting Epstein’s private Caribbean island or having any inappropriate relationships connected to Epstein.
“The more information that comes out, the clearer it will be that while spending time with him was a mistake, it had nothing to do with that kind of behavior,” Gates said.
Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges involving minors and was found dead one month later in his jail cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York in what authorities ruled an apparent suicide.
Gates has previously rejected allegations of misconduct related to Epstein. In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, a spokesperson for Gates said the claims were “absolutely absurd and completely false,” adding that the documents reflect Epstein’s frustration over not maintaining a relationship with Gates and his attempts to damage Gates’ reputation.
The renewed attention also follows comments from Gates’ ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, with whom he shares three children. Speaking to NPR this week, she said her former husband must personally address questions surrounding his association with Epstein.
“Those questions are for those people — and for even my ex-husband,” she said. “They need to answer to those things, not me. I’m very happy to be away from all the muck that was there.”