A number of celebrities found themselves in the spotlight when new Epstein documents were made public last week — and one name that stood out was Bill Gates, especially due to allegations that he caught STDs from “Russian girls.”
Now, the co-founder of Microsoft is speaking out and clarifying the situation.
What Epstein wrote
Bill Gates, 70, has previously spoken about his past association with the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, calling it a “huge mistake” to have any connection with the convicted sex offender.
“In retrospect, I was foolish to spend any time with him,” he told the Wall Street Journal a year ago.
But last week, their association came back into the spotlight as the Department of Justice published 3.5 million new documents. Some of those included shocking claims that Gates contracted STDs from “Russia girls,” according to an email from Epstein in 2013. The message, believed to have been sent by Epstein to himself, despite being addressed to “Bill”, stated:
”To add insult to the injury you them [sic] 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.”
Gates denied the allegations in an interview with 9News.
“Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself. That email was never sent. The email is false,” he said.
”I don’t know what his thinking was there. Was he trying to attack me in some way? Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologize that I did that.”
Within their relationship
The Microsoft co-founder shared that he initially encountered Epstein in 2011 and subsequently had multiple dinners with him, but he emphasized that he never set foot on Epstein’s infamous island or engaged in any sexual activities with women.
“The emphasis was always on the fact that he was acquainted with many wealthy individuals, and he claimed he could persuade them to contribute to global health initiatives. Looking back, that turned out to be a futile effort,” Gates remarked.
Gates’ former spouse, Melinda, shared her thoughts on the issue during NPR’s Wild Card podcast, discussing the wider implications of Epstein’s actions.
“Whatever questions linger regarding what I don’t — I can’t even begin to grasp all of it — those inquiries are for those individuals and even my ex-husband. They are the ones who need to address those matters, not me,” she stated.
Ex-wife’s response
“I believe we are experiencing a reckoning as a society, right? No girl, no girl should ever find herself in the circumstances that Epstein and the various individuals surrounding him created. It’s utterly heartbreaking, right? I recall being the same age as those girls, and I remember my daughters at that age.”
“So for me, it’s personally challenging whenever those details arise, right, because it brings back memories of some very, very painful moments in my marriage.”
Melinda and Bill Gates were married for 27 years before they finalized their divorce in 2021. Later, Melinda disclosed that her ex-husband had an affair with a Microsoft employee in 2019 — a statement that Gates himself acknowledged in 2021.
