Bill Gates may spend the rest of his life apologizing — first to the woman who stood beside him for nearly three decades, and now to the millions who once viewed him as a steady moral compass in tech and philanthropy.
The Microsoft co-founder has long acknowledged personal failures tied to the collapse of his 27-year marriage to Melinda French Gates. Earlier this month, Melinda came clean regarding rumors of her ex-husband’s infidelity. And now, Bill has widened that circle of regret with a confession of his own.
During a town hall meeting at the Seattle-based Gates Foundation, Gates addressed staff in remarks later reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
What began as a candid conversation about judgment and accountability turned into a revelation that quickly rippled beyond the room. The billionaire philanthropist admitted to extramarital relationships while still married — and revisited his controversial association with Jeffrey Epstein, a connection that has shadowed him for years.
“I did have affairs, one with a Russian bridge player who met me at bridge events, and one with a Russian nuclear physicist whom I met through business activities,” Gates told staff.
He added that “It was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein,” and acknowledged, “I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made.”
🚨 MELINDA GATES DIVORCED BILL… BECAUSE HE COULDN’T STOP VISITING JEFFREY EPSTEIN
— HustleBitch (@HustleBitch_) July 9, 2025
She met Epstein once. Said it gave her nightmares.
⁰Told Bill how she felt.
⁰He kept going anyway.
⁰He picked Epstein over his own wife. pic.twitter.com/kBwzaDLn7f
Gates insisted, “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” clarifying, “To be clear, I never spent any time with the victims, the women around him.”
According to the Journal’s account of the town hall recording, Gates said Epstein later learned of the affairs.
In documents released by the Justice Department, a draft email attributed to Epstein alleged that his relationship with Gates wanted to secretly give Melinda French Gates medication used to treat an STI.
“To add insult to the injury you then implore me to please delete the emails regarding your std, your request that I provide you antibiotics that you can surreptitiously give to Melinda and the description of your penis,” the draft read.
Gates has denied those claims, and Melinda refused to give details when asked during NPR’s “Wild Card” podcast.
Addressing a separate email that appeared to reference him, Bill previously stated, “The email is false. I don’t know what his thinking was there.”
Online, reactions were swift and unsparing, with social media users unforgiving about his ties to Epstein after lying.
“Apologizing for Epstein ties while admitting to Russian affairs is a hell of a way to start a Wednesday,” one person wrote.
Another added, “He’s only apologizing because he got caught.” A third user quipped, “Turns out even tech moguls can’t Ctrl+Z real life. From software updates to reputation updates.”
Others were more skeptical, with one person writing, “I do not believe this. Guy don’t look much of a chick magnet, were they in contacted relationships? I refuse to believe he said ‘hi’ himself to two women.”
A final commenter shrugged, “Yeah I’ve heard this story before.”
🇺🇸 Bill #Gates addressed his ties to Jeffrey #Epstein at a Gates Foundation town hall meeting, calling the association a “huge mistake.”
— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) February 26, 2026
According to the nonprofit, he said he takes responsibility for his past actions, including affairs with two Russian women 👇 pic.twitter.com/vpKarx0b3I
Gates has repeatedly described his association with Epstein as his gravest miscalculation outside of his divorce.
Reflecting on the end of his marriage in a January 2025 interview with The Times of London, he said, “The divorce thing was miserable for me and Melinda for at least two years.” He added, “That was the mistake I most regret.”
Speaking to staff about Epstein, Bill conceded, “Knowing what I know now makes it, you know, a hundred times worse in terms of not only his crimes in the past, but now it’s clear there was ongoing bad behavior.”
Melinda French Gates has taken a markedly different tone. In a 2025 interview with Elle, she brushed off headlines about her ex-husband’s public remorse.
“You’ve clearly Googled more than I have,” she responded, rolling her eyes at speculation about reconciliation. Still, she acknowledged the pain.
“Look, divorces are painful, and it’s not something I would wish on any family.” She has described leaving the marriage as both one of the hardest and most important decisions of her life.
She reiterated the same sentiment this year to NPR as more Epstein files were released.
“For me, it’s personally hard whenever those details come up,” adding that she can’t answer the questions people want to know. “Those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband. They need to answer to those things, not me.”
For Gates, the apologies continue — to his former wife, to his foundation, and now to a public recalibrating its view of a man once synonymous with innovation and global goodwill.
His admissions about affairs with Russian women while married have added a new chapter to a story he seems determined to confront head-on, even as critics question whether confession alone can restore trust.
