Bill Gates admits to affairs with Russian women while married, apologises to staff over Epstein ties

Melbourne, February 26: Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has admitted to having affairs with two Russian women while he was married to Melinda French Gates, as he apologised to staff at the Gates Foundation over his past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Wall Street Journal obtained an audio recording of Mr Gates’ remarks made during a town hall meeting with Gates Foundation staff on Tuesday. In the recording, Mr Gates acknowledged his personal misconduct and expressed regret over his relationship with Epstein.

“I did have affairs,” Mr Gates told staff. “One was with a Russian bridge player I met at bridge events, and another with a Russian nuclear physicist I met through business activities.”

Mr Gates’ relationship with the bridge player, believed to be Mila Antonova, was first reported by The Wall Street Journal in 2023. The two reportedly met around 2010, when Mr Gates was in his 50s and Ms Antonova was in her 20s.

According to reports, Jeffrey Epstein encountered Ms Antonova in 2013 and later paid for her to attend a software coding school, before asking Mr Gates to reimburse the cost. Emails contained in the Epstein files show Epstein speculating about the potential damage Mr Gates’ affairs could cause to his personal life and public reputation.

In one email, Epstein wrote that Mr Gates risked going from “richest man to biggest hypocrite”, warning that his marriage, philanthropic pledges and public image could be ruined. Other correspondence in the files includes Epstein claiming that Mr Gates sought his help after contracting a sexually transmitted disease from a Russian woman, an allegation Mr Gates’ spokesperson has previously dismissed as “absolutely absurd”. Mr Gates did not address that specific claim during the meeting.

Mr Gates told staff he did not meet Epstein after 2014, although Epstein continued to email him about what he described as “ancillary issues”, without receiving any response.
“I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” Mr Gates said. “To be clear, I never spent any time with victims, the women around him.”

He also said the Russian women with whom he had affairs were not victims of Epstein. Photos included in the Epstein files show Mr Gates with women whose faces have been redacted. Mr Gates said they were Epstein’s “assistants” and that Epstein had asked him to pose for the pictures.

Mr Gates acknowledged that he flew on Epstein’s private jet and met him in Germany, France, Washington DC and New York. However, he said he never stayed overnight at Epstein’s properties and never visited Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean. He described his association with Epstein as lasting from 2011 to 2014, despite Epstein having already served time in prison for soliciting a minor.

Mr Gates said he was aware that Epstein had faced restrictions on travel following his conviction but admitted he did not properly examine Epstein’s background at the time. He also conceded that he continued to see Epstein for about a year after Melinda French Gates raised concerns in 2013. The couple divorced in 2021.

“It was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein,” Mr Gates said. “I apologise to anyone who was drawn into this because of the mistake I made.” He added that involving Gates Foundation executives in meetings with Epstein was “the opposite of the values of the foundation” and damaging to its reputation.

“Knowing what I know now makes it a hundred times worse,” he said. “Not only because of his past crimes, but because it’s now clear to me there was ongoing bad behaviour.”

Mr Gates said Epstein often spoke about his relationships with other billionaires and high-profile figures, which helped to “normalise” the association. He also claimed Epstein had presented himself as someone interested in helping raise money for charitable causes.

A spokesperson for the Gates Foundation said Mr Gates “spoke candidly, addressed several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions”.

Melinda French Gates, speaking to NPR earlier this month, said she was relieved to be away from the controversy following their divorce. She described the revelations as deeply painful and said she hoped justice would be served for Epstein’s victims.