SEATTLE (Azat TV) – Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates publicly admitted to two past extramarital affairs and offered a renewed apology to the staff of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, for his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. These admissions came during a town hall meeting, following mounting scrutiny ignited by the recent release of new Justice Department case files related to Epstein.
Gates’s Admissions and the Epstein Files
During the town hall, Bill Gates confirmed long-standing rumors, telling employees, “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,” as reported by The Wall Street Journal. The admissions resurfaced after a new batch of Epstein files, released on January 30, disclosed messages where Epstein allegedly claimed to have arranged “sex with Russian girls” on Gates’ behalf and referenced a sexually transmitted disease linked to one of these encounters. Gates categorically denied these specific allegations, stating, “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit.”
The newly disclosed materials also indicated that Epstein had threatened to expose Gates’ affair with Russian bridge player Mila Antonova in 2017. Emails suggested Epstein inserted himself into negotiations surrounding the departure of Gates’ then-science adviser, Boris Nikolic, leveraging knowledge of the affairs to pressure Gates. Epstein also paid for Antonova’s coding-school tuition and later sought reimbursement from Gates. Gates also addressed photographs in the files showing him with obscured women, explaining they were taken at Epstein’s request with his assistants after meetings.
The Impact on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bill Gates acknowledged the profound negative impact his past association with Epstein has had on the foundation and its reputation. “It was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein,” Gates stated, adding that he regretted bringing Gates Foundation executives into meetings with the sex offender. He apologized “to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made.” Gates emphasized that the recent revelations were “the opposite of the values of the Foundation and the goals of the Foundation,” noting that their work is “very reputational sensitive.”
This public apology comes years after Gates first admitted to meeting Epstein in 2011, three years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Gates continued to interact with Epstein through 2014, traveling with him to various international locations and even flying on Epstein’s private jet, despite concerns expressed by his then-wife, Melinda French Gates, in 2013. Melinda French Gates has previously cited her ex-husband’s ties to Epstein as a reason for their divorce. Gates, according to The Hindu, maintained that he never stayed overnight or visited Epstein’s private island, and suggested that the presence of other prominent figures at these meetings contributed to a false sense of normalization. He recognized that his interactions inadvertently helped Epstein bolster his public reputation.
Ongoing Scrutiny of Bill Gates’s Past Ties
The renewed scrutiny surrounding Bill Gates’s past conduct and his ties to Jeffrey Epstein highlights the enduring repercussions of associating with individuals accused or convicted of serious crimes. Gates admitted that “Knowing what I know now makes it, you know, a hundred times worse in terms of not only his crimes in the past, but now it’s clear there was ongoing bad behavior.” A spokesperson for the Gates Foundation confirmed that Gates “spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions” during the twice-yearly town hall, as reported by The New York Post.
The admissions from Bill Gates underscore the delicate balance between high-profile philanthropy and personal conduct, demonstrating how past associations can resurface to challenge the credibility and public trust essential for global initiatives.