Bill Gates addresses staff on Epstein files, confirms past affairs with two Russian women

Fresh controversies continue to shadow billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, following disclosures regarding his past ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. New details have emerged concerning the friction surrounding Gates's high-profile 2021 divorce from his former wife, Melinda French Gates. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Gates addressed these sensitive matters during a confidential town hall meeting with employees of the Gates Foundation in February 2026. During this briefing, Gates confirmed his past extramarital relationships with two Russian women whose names appeared within unredacted portions of the infamous Epstein files. However, Gates strongly emphasised that these relationships were with consenting adults—a bridge player and a nuclear physicist—and did not involve any of Epstein's victims, stating to staff, "I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit."

The developments cast a new light on the dissolution of Gates's 27-year marriage. At the time of the separation, public speculation and reports regarding Gates's conduct were widespread, though specific legal findings regarding his infidelity were kept private in the final settlement. Reports indicate that Gates subsequently initiated extensive public relations campaigns in an effort to rehabilitate his public image amidst the mounting controversies.

The billionaire's connection to the broader scandal intensified following the US Department of Justice's release of the Epstein files in January 2026. Among these documents were draft emails that Epstein had written to himself in 2013. These notes suggested that Gates maintained relationships with the Russian nationals, had allegedly contracted a sexually transmitted infection, and detailed a highly erratic, unverified plan by Epstein to administer antibiotics to Gates's then-wife, Melinda, without her knowledge. Legal analysts and investigators caution that these specific claims are entirely unverified and appear to be narrative frameworks drafted by Epstein to manufacture blackmail leverage. Although Gates and his representatives have consistently dismissed the extortionate allegations within Epstein's personal drafts as false, his recent admissions during the foundation meeting mark a significant shift by confirming the underlying extramarital affairs themselves, while continuing to deny any criminal misconduct.