Bill Gates has been trying to clear his name at every turn, but this time he’s doing it with an apology. During a recent town hall with folks at the Gates Foundation, he finally addressed the whispers that have been circling for years.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Gates spoke to staff on Tuesday after his name popped up in emails tied to Jeffrey Epstein that were released by the Justice Department back in January. And instead of ducking the smoke, he finally admitted to having not one, but two affairs during his 27-year marriage.
“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,” he said.
RELATED: Bill Gates Says He Regrets Every Minute He Spent With Jeffrey Epstein: ‘I Never Went To The Island’
Now listen, that’s already a lot. But the situation got messier after a 2013 email written by Epstein claimed Gates was trying to hide a sexually transmitted disease from his then-wife, Melinda French Gates, after sleeping with “Russian girls.”
The email alleged he was looking for antibiotics to secretly give her! But Gates has flat-out denied that part, calling it “completely false” through a spokesperson earlier this year. During the town hall, he also addressed his connection to Epstein directly.
Gates admitted he flew on Epstein’s private plane and spent time with him in the U.S. and overseas. Still, he made it very clear he wasn’t involved in anything criminal.
“I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” Gates reportedly told staff. “To be clear, I never spent any time with the victims, the women around him.”
For context, Gates first connected with Epstein in 2011 and that was three years after Epstein had already been convicted in Florida for procuring a child for prostitution. Despite that history, the relationship continued, which reportedly caused serious tension in his marriage. Melinda was said to be deeply uncomfortable with the association.
By 2021, it was over. Melinda filed for divorce, officially ending nearly three decades of marriage.
Now Gates seems to be in full reputation-repair mode, answering questions head-on and acknowledging his mistakes, at least the ones he says are true.
Socialites, what are your thoughts on this? Sound off in the comments box below!