Question
What did Bill Gates say about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein?
Answer
Bill Gates has publicly acknowledged meeting with Jeffrey Epstein multiple times after Epstein’s 2008 conviction, calling those meetings “a mistake” and expressing regret for having associated with Epstein at all.
Gates stated that his initial interest in meeting Epstein was based on claims that Epstein could help channel significant philanthropic donations from wealthy individuals to Gates’s global health initiatives. Gates has denied that the meetings involved anything improper.
The relationship between Epstein and Gates became a publicly significant issue during Gates’s divorce proceedings from Melinda French Gates in 2021. Melinda French Gates reportedly told friends that she was uncomfortable with Epstein and with Gates’s continued meetings with him — meetings that had included at least one dinner at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse attended by prominent figures.
The MIT Media Lab revelations in 2019 added further context: MIT records showed that Epstein had facilitated a $2 million donation to the Media Lab from Gates, channeled through a foundation associated with Epstein. This demonstrated that the Gates-Epstein connection was not merely social but involved actual financial transactions.
Gates has not provided a complete account of the number of meetings, their content, or the full extent of any financial arrangements connected to Epstein.
Sources
- The New York Times reporting on Gates-Epstein meetings (2019)
- Ronan Farrow investigation, MIT Media Lab records (2019)
- The Wall Street Journal reporting on Melinda Gates’s concerns (2021)