Bill Gates Faces Staff in Tense Town Hall, Apologizes for Epstein Ties and Extramarital Affairs

In a rare and highly scrutinized public appearance, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates addressed employees of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in a closed-door town hall meeting, offering apologies for his past associations with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and acknowledging extramarital relationships that have now become central to ongoing legal and public scrutiny.

Speaking before a packed audience at the foundation’s Seattle headquarters, Gates admitted that his contact with Epstein—spanning from 2011 to at least 2014—was a “huge mistake” and expressed deep regret for the damage it has caused both personally and professionally.

“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,” Gates told staff, according to sources familiar with the meeting. “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit.”

The billionaire philanthropist was responding to explosive revelations from the latest release of Jeffrey Epstein documents, which included images of Gates with young women whose faces were blurred. Gates insisted the women were Epstein’s assistants and denied ever spending time with victims.

“To be clear I never spent any time with victims, the women around him,” Gates stated. “I never stayed overnight during my travels with Epstein across Europe and the US.”

Gates acknowledged that he failed to conduct proper due diligence before meeting Epstein in 2011—three years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution. He emphasized that his knowledge of Epstein’s ongoing criminal behavior makes the association “a hundred times worse” in hindsight.

“I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made,” Gates said. “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.”

The affair that has drawn particular attention involves Mila Antonova, a Russian bridge player Gates met at a tournament in 2010. According to reporting by the Wall Street Journal, Antonova didn’t meet Epstein until November 2013, when their relationship resulted in financial support for her education. The alleged blackmail attempt didn’t surface until 2017, when Epstein approached Gates seeking payment for Antonova’s schooling.

Gates’ former wife, Melinda French Gates, has remained largely silent on the matter, though sources close to the divorce proceedings suggest the Epstein revelations played a significant role in their separation.

The town hall comes amid growing pressure on Gates to address his relationship with Epstein, which has overshadowed his philanthropic work and climate change initiatives. Despite the controversy, Gates maintains his position at the foundation and continues to wield significant influence in global health and development circles.

“I made a terrible error in judgment,” Gates concluded. “I hope my staff can understand that I’ve learned from this experience and that I’m committed to doing better moving forward.”

As the Epstein document releases continue, questions remain about the full extent of Gates’ involvement with the financier and whether additional revelations could further impact his legacy and the work of the foundation he helped create.

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