Bill Gates Alleges Jeffrey Epstein Tried to Extort Him Over Infidelity

Although Gates—who was married to French Gates from 1994 to 2021—alleged that he had no contact with Epstein between 2014 and his 2018 arrest, he said an employee in the process of leaving his private office had engaged Epstein for help with the separation. 

"It was after this that I learned Epstein had become aware of sensitive information about my personal life, including the fact that I had been unfaithful in my marriage," the 70-year-old told the panel. "These affairs had nothing to do with my interactions with Epstein, but they were painful for my family."

"Based on what has been released in the files, Epstein was working to use information about my infidelities—in addition to many lies that he layered on top—to pressure me to re-engage with him," he continued. "He was unsuccessful in this effort, but it shows some of the ways he tried to leverage his interactions with me to further his agenda."

Gates—who categorically denied engaging in or witnessing any criminal contact Epstein had engaged in—previously shared insight into his infidelity during his 27-year marriage.

"I did have affairs," he said in a town hall conversation with Bill Gates Foundation employees during a February town hall. "One with a Russian bridge player who met me at bridge events, and one with a Russian nuclear physicist whom I met through business activities."

For French Gates' part, she had reacted to her ex-husband's connection to Epstein in the docs.

"For me, it's personally hard whenever those details come up because it brings back memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage," she said on NPR's Wild Card podcast in February. "Whatever questions remain, those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband."

The 61-year-old isn't interested in speaking for anyone else, adding, "They need to answer to those things, not me."