Micah Jonah
February 5, 2026
Microsoft co founder, Bill Gates has said he regrets every minute he spent with convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, as renewed scrutiny over their past association continues following the release of fresh United States Justice Department documents.
Speaking in an interview with 9News Australia, Gates described his meetings with Epstein as a mistake, apologized for the association, distancing himself from allegations contained in newly released files.
“Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologize,” Gates said, adding that claims suggesting he engaged in illicit activities with Epstein were false.
The documents, released last week as part of ongoing investigations into Epstein’s network, included a draft email allegedly written by Epstein, in which he claimed to have facilitated drugs and illicit relationships for Gates. Gates dismissed the email, insisting it was never sent, did not reflect reality.
“That email was never sent. It is false. Was he trying to attack me in some way?” Gates said.
A spokesperson for Gates also rejected the claims, stating that the documents only showed Epstein’s frustration over not having an ongoing relationship with the billionaire philanthropist and his attempts to entrap and defame him.
Gates’ former wife, Melinda French Gates, also reacted to the document release, saying it reopened painful memories from their marriage. Speaking to US National Public Radio, she said there were still unanswered questions surrounding the relationship between Gates and Epstein.
“Whatever questions remain, those questions are for those people, and for even my ex husband. They need to answer to those things, not me,” she said.
Bill and Melinda Gates divorced in 2021.
Gates said he met Epstein in 2011, had several dinners with him over a three year period but denied visiting Epstein’s private Caribbean island or engaging in any sexual relationships.
He explained that the meetings were centred on discussions about global health funding, claiming Epstein had presented himself as someone capable of mobilising wealthy donors for charitable causes.
“In retrospect, that was a dead end,” Gates said.
Epstein, a financier with ties to powerful figures across politics and business, died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.
While the presence of names in the Epstein files does not in itself imply wrongdoing, the documents have renewed public attention on previously downplayed or denied associations between Epstein and prominent figures worldwide.
