Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates acknowledged during a staff town hall at the Gates Foundation that he had extramarital affairs during his marriage and described his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as a “huge mistake,” while insisting he engaged in no illicit conduct.
Gates addressed foundation employees Tuesday in a session that included questions about recently released Epstein-related emails and the potential reputational impact on the organization’s global health mission. A recording of the event was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, which first detailed Gates’ remarks.
“I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” Gates said, according to the Journal’s account of the meeting. He added that he “never spent any time with victims, the women around him,” referring to individuals abused by Epstein.
Gates conceded that he had two affairs while married to Melinda French Gates, and said Epstein later became aware of them. He maintained that the affairs did not involve any of Epstein’s victims.
“It was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein,” Gates said during the town hall. “I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made.”
Emails and Renewed Scrutiny
The renewed scrutiny follows the disclosure of emails from 2013 in which Epstein claimed he was Gates’ “right hand” and suggested he had participated in matters that were “ethically unsound.” Representatives for Gates have dismissed Epstein’s assertions as “absolutely absurd and completely false.
In one July 2013 message cited by news outlets, Epstein wrote to Boris Nikolic, then Gates’ science and technology adviser, naming two women he alleged had affairs with Gates and warning that their identities could become public. Epstein suggested reputational fallout could follow, writing that Gates risked appearing hypocritical and that charitable pledges could be affected.
Nikolic has said the emails were not written on his behalf or at his request.
Gates told foundation staff that he began meeting with Epstein in 2011, several years after Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution. Gates said he was not fully aware of the scope of Epstein’s criminal conduct at the time and that, in hindsight, continuing the relationship was a grave error.
“Knowing what I know makes it a hundred times worse,” Gates said, according to the Journal’s review, referencing both Epstein’s past crimes and what later emerged as ongoing misconduct.
Gates said 2014 was the final year he met with Epstein.
Travel and Association
During the town hall, Gates acknowledged traveling on a private jet with Epstein and meeting him in New York, Washington, Germany and France. He said he never visited Epstein’s private island.
Gates explained that the presence of other high-profile individuals at some meetings contributed to what he described as a false sense of normalcy.
“It made it easier for me to feel like this was a normalized situation,” he said, adding that the association ultimately conflicted with the foundation’s values and mission.
“It definitely is the opposite of the values of the foundation and the goals of the foundation,” Gates said. “Our work is very reputational sensitive. People can choose to work with us or not work with us.”
A spokesperson for the Gates Foundation told NBC News that Gates holds town halls twice annually and that he addressed employee-submitted questions about the Epstein files, artificial intelligence initiatives and the future of global health. The spokesperson said Gates “spoke candidly” and “took responsibility for his actions.”
Personal and Institutional Fallout
Gates and French Gates divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage. French Gates has previously expressed discomfort with her former husband’s ties to Epstein. During Tuesday’s meeting, Gates acknowledged her skepticism.
“To give her credit, she was always kind of skeptical about the Epstein thing,” he said.
Gates has previously characterized his decision to meet with Epstein as “foolish.” In an earlier interview with The Wall Street Journal in 2025, he said he had hoped the relationship would advance philanthropic goals in global health but conceded that it did not.
“I thought it would help me with global health philanthropy. In fact, it failed to do that. It was just a huge mistake,” he told the newspaper at the time.
Reputation, Accountability and Philanthropy
The town hall remarks illustrate the continuing shadow Epstein’s crimes cast over prominent figures who associated with him, even tangentially. For Gates, whose philanthropic brand centers on global health, poverty reduction and scientific innovation, reputational trust is integral to maintaining partnerships with governments, multilateral organizations and private donors.
The Gates Foundation operates in politically sensitive environments where credibility can determine access and influence. Any perception of ethical lapses at the leadership level risks complicating collaborations and fueling criticism from skeptics of large-scale philanthropy.
At the same time, Gates’ public acknowledgment of personal failings and explicit apology to staff reflect an effort to confront the issue directly rather than allow speculation to linger unaddressed. His insistence that he saw no illicit activity underscores the delicate balance between accepting responsibility for poor judgment and denying criminal wrongdoing.
The episode also highlights broader questions about how influential figures navigate associations in elite networks. Epstein cultivated relationships with academics, financiers and philanthropists long after his 2008 conviction, raising enduring concerns about due diligence and moral responsibility.
For Gates, the reputational consequences appear likely to persist, even as he emphasizes the foundation’s mission. Whether his candid remarks to staff help restore confidence or further inflame scrutiny may depend on what additional disclosures, if any, emerge from ongoing document releases.
What is clear is that Gates’ acknowledgment — both of personal misconduct and of the gravity of his association with Epstein — marks one of his most direct public reckonings with a controversy that has lingered for years.
TheIndependent/NBC
