In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the Microsoft co-founder described his interactions with Epstein, a convicted child s*x offender, as foolish.
“In retrospect, I was foolish to spend any time with him,” Gates said. “I thought it would help me with global health philanthropy, but it failed to do that. It was just a huge mistake.”
Gates also revealed he became more cautious about forming new connections after Epstein’s death by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of s*x trafficking and federal conspiracy.
Reports suggest that Epstein had threatened to expose Gates’ alleged affair with Russian bridge player Mila Antonova in 2017 after Gates declined to join Epstein’s multibillion-dollar charitable fund with JPMorgan Chase. Epstein, who had known Antonova since 2013, had reportedly paid for her to attend a software coding school.
Gates admitted to being in a relationship with Antonova for years, which added strain to his marriage. Melinda Gates, 60, has also spoken about the role Epstein played in their divorce.
In a March 2022 interview on CBS Mornings, she said Epstein was one of the factors that led to the end of their 27-year marriage.
“I did not like that he had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein, no. I made that clear to him,” she said, adding that she regretted her single encounter with Epstein, whom she described as “abhorrent” and “evil personified.”
Bill Gates has called his divorce from Melinda the “mistake” he regrets most, telling The Times of London that it was a “miserable” experience for both of them over two years. Despite their separation, the pair have maintained an amicable relationship while co-parenting their three adult children: Jennifer, 28, Rory, 25, and Phoebe, 22.
Since the divorce, Melinda has moved on with entrepreneur Philip Vaughn, while Bill is now in a relationship with Paula Hurd.
