Melinda Gates: Bill «needs to answer» on Epstein files

Melinda French Gates has spoken publicly about the renewed scrutiny surrounding her ex-husband after Bill Gates’ name appeared in the latest tranche of the Epstein files, describing the episode as reopening «very, very painful times in my marriage». She addressed the issue during an interview on NPR’s Wild Card podcast, responding to questions from host Rachel Martin about newly released documents referencing Bill Gates in connection with Jeffrey Epstein. Melinda, now 61, framed her reaction through the lens of Epstein’s abuse of women and girls, saying the revelations had resurfaced deep personal memories tied to the final years of her marriage and its eventual collapse.

The documents at the center of the controversy were released last week by the US Department of Justice and include draft emails written by Epstein to himself more than a decade ago. In one message dated in 2013, Epstein claimed that Bill Gates had contracted a sexually transmitted infection during an affair with «Russian girls» and had asked Epstein for help, including antibiotics allegedly intended to be given to Melinda. The emails contain graphic and unverified assertions. There is no indication the claims were ever substantiated, and Epstein’s writings were not sent to Gates or confirmed by any third party.

A spokesperson for Bill Gates has categorically denied the allegations described in the Epstein emails, calling them «absolutely absurd and completely false». In a statement provided to PEOPLE, the spokesperson said the documents demonstrate Epstein’s efforts to «entrap and defame» Gates after failing to maintain an ongoing relationship with him. Bill Gates has previously acknowledged meeting Epstein in the past, describing those interactions as a mistake, but he has not been accused of any crime or wrongdoing in connection with Epstein’s offenses. His representatives declined to comment further on Melinda’s remarks.

During the NPR interview, Melinda French Gates emphasized that accountability for the questions raised by the documents does not rest with her.

«Whatever questions remain there of what I don’t — can’t even begin to know all of it — those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband. They need to answer to those things, not me,» she said. Reflecting more broadly, she added: «I think we’re having a reckoning as a society, right?» and stressed that no girl should ever have been subjected to the abuse carried out by Epstein and enabled by powerful circles around him.

The revelations have also reopened discussion about the Gates’ divorce, announced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage. In her memoir, The Next Day, Melinda wrote about mounting turmoil in the relationship in 2019 and 2020, including recurring nightmares and deep emotional strain.

She alluded to Bill Gates’ infidelity and his ties to Epstein as contributing factors. Speaking to NPR, she said the renewed allegations brought «unbelievable sadness», adding that revisiting those years remains personally difficult even as she has moved forward with her life.

Melinda French Gates concluded her remarks by distancing herself from both the controversy and her former marriage, while returning repeatedly to the impact Epstein’s abuse had on women and girls. «It’s beyond heartbreaking, right?

I remember being those ages those girls were, I remember my daughters being those ages,» she said, explaining why the latest revelations were personally difficult to revisit.

«So for me, it’s personally hard whenever those details come up, right, because [it] brings back memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage.» While expressing hope for justice for Epstein’s victims, she said she felt relief at having left what she described as «all the muck that was there». «At least for me, I’ve been able to move on in life,» she added, as the release of new files continues to force public figures to confront past associations.