Bill Gates has said he regrets ever associating with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as newly released Epstein-related documents revive public scrutiny of their relationship and fuel fresh controversy.
Speaking on Wednesday during an interview with Australia’s 9News, the Microsoft co-founder dismissed allegations contained in the latest Epstein files, describing them as false and suggesting Epstein may have been attempting to defame or extort him.
“Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself. That email was never sent. The email is false,” Gates said.
The renewed attention follows claims in the documents that Gates concealed a sexually transmitted disease from his former wife, Melinda French Gates, after alleged contact with “Russian girls,” and that Epstein claimed Gates attempted to secretly give her antibiotics.
Gates’ office has rejected the allegations as “absolutely absurd and completely false.”
Jeffrey Epstein was a wealthy financier with deep connections to political leaders, business executives, and celebrities across the United States and beyond. He was arrested in 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking involving underage girls and had previously served a controversial jail sentence in 2008 after pleading guilty to state prostitution-related offences.
Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial, but investigations into his activities and network of associates have continued to draw global attention.
Reflecting on his past interactions with Epstein, Gates said he now views them as a serious mistake.
“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 apologise that I did that,” he said.
Gates confirmed that he met Epstein in 2011 and dined with him on several occasions, explaining that the meetings were aimed at persuading wealthy individuals to support global health initiatives. He insisted he never visited Epstein’s private Caribbean island and denied any sexual relationships with women linked to Epstein.
“The focus was always, he knew a lot of very rich people, and he was saying he could get them to give money to global health. In retrospect, that was a dead end,” Gates said, adding that he was “foolish” to have spent time with Epstein and is among many who now regret ever knowing him.