Bill Gates Admits Affairs With Russian Women During Marriage and Says Time With Epstein Was a Huge Mistake

In a candid meeting with foundation employees, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates acknowledged past personal misconduct and addressed renewed scrutiny over his past association with Jeffrey Epstein.

Gates, 70, told staff Tuesday that he had two affairs with Russian women during his marriage to Melinda French Gates, which ended in divorce in 2021 after 27 years. During the town hall, he also spoke about time spent with Epstein after the financier’s 2008 conviction in Florida.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Gates said he traveled on a private plane with Epstein and met with him in the United States and overseas, but denied any criminal involvement.

“I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” Gates said in the meeting. “To be clear, I never spent any time with the victims, the women around him.”

He added that he met Epstein in 2011 and continued interacting with him despite concerns raised at home.

“To give her credit, she was always kind of skeptical about the Epstein thing,” Gates said, referring to his former wife.

Gates admitted, “I did have affairs, one with a Russian bridge player who met me at bridge events, and one with a Russian nuclear physicist who I met through business activities.”

One of the women, Mila Antonova, had previously been linked to Epstein’s efforts to fund a bridge academy. In a 2013 email to Gates adviser Boris Nikolic, Epstein warned that the relationships risked “becoming overnight sensations.”

“Bill risks going from richest man to biggest hypocrite, Melinda a laughing stock, pledges will disappear as a result,” Epstein wrote.

Gates said he never visited Epstein’s private island and expressed regret for the association.

“I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake I made,” he said. “It definitely is the opposite of the values of the foundation and the goals of the foundation.”

Previously, Gates told the Journal, “I thought it would help me with global health philanthropy. In fact, it failed to do that. It was just a huge mistake.”