Melinda French Gates Responds As Epstein Emails Put Bill Gates Back In Spotlight

Melinda French Gates is once again being pulled into renewed scrutiny surrounding her ex-husband, Bill Gates, after newly released Jeffrey Epstein-related emails thrust the Microsoft co-founder back into public focus. 

The documents, released by the U.S. Department of Justice, contain disturbing allegations that have reignited questions about Bill’s past ties to the disgraced financier. 

Now, as headlines resurface, Melinda is speaking publicly about the emotional weight of those revelations and how they intersect with the end of her marriage.

Melinda addressed the resurfacing controversy during a recent appearance on NPR’s “Wild Card” podcast, where host Rachel Martin directly referenced the renewed focus on Bill Gates. 

Martin noted that Bill had been named in the latest tranche of Epstein-related files and offered Melinda the opportunity to respond in her own words.

Rather than focusing narrowly on her ex-husband, Melinda spoke broadly about Epstein’s abuse of women and young girls, as well as the powerful men who surrounded him. 

“I think we’re having a reckoning as a society, right? No girl, no girl should ever be put in the situation that they were put in by Epstein and whatever was going on with all of the various people around him,” she said.

Melinda emphasized how personal the issue feels to her as a mother. “It’s beyond heartbreaking, right? I remember being those ages those girls were, I remember my daughters being those ages,” she said. 

As the discussion continued, Melinda acknowledged that the renewed attention surrounding Bill and Epstein stirred memories from her marriage that she described as deeply painful. 

“So for me, it’s personally hard whenever those details come up, right, because [it] brings back memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage,” she said.

Despite the pain, she emphasized that she has moved on and no longer feels responsible for answering unresolved questions about her former husband. She made it clear that any remaining questions belong to those directly involved, including the billionaire himself.

“Whatever questions remain there of what I don’t — can’t even begin to know all of it — those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband. They need to answer to those things, not me,” Melinda said. 

She stressed that distance by adding, “I am so happy to be away from all the muck that was there.”

The renewed headlines stem from draft emails attributed to Epstein that were recently released by the U.S. Department of Justice. 

The documents include years-old messages Epstein allegedly wrote to himself, accusing the 70-year-old of contracting a sexually transmitted infection from “Russian girls” and asking for Epstein’s assistance.

One draft message dated July 18, 2013, reads, “To add insult to the injury you then subsequently with tears in your eyes, implore me to please delete the emails regarding your std, your request that I provide you antibiotics that you can surreptitiously give to Melinda, and the description of your penis.”

Additional emails appeared to be written from the perspective of Bill’s former advisor, Boris Nikolic, who resigned from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 

In one email, Nikolic described being caught in a severe marital dispute between Melinda and Bill and claimed he was asked to participate in actions he characterized as morally inappropriate, ethically unsound, and potentially illegal. 

The message included allegations related to obtaining drugs and facilitating inappropriate relationships.

The release also featured previously unseen images of Epstein and Bill together in various locations, further fueling public interest in the extent of their association.

Following the revelation, Bill denied any wrongdoing. In response to the latest document release, his spokesperson issued a strongly worded statement to the Daily Mail, calling the claims “absolutely absurd and completely false.”

“The only thing these documents demonstrate is Epstein’s frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame,” the spokesperson said.

The businessman has previously described his meetings with Epstein as a mistake, stating he was foolish to spend any time with him, and maintaining that his involvement was related to philanthropic interests. 

He has said there was no business relationship or friendship and claimed their meetings occurred in group settings. 

He also denied attending the human trafficker’s parties or visiting his residences.

Melinda previously discussed her decision to leave the marriage in a 2025PEOPLE cover story ahead of her memoir, “The Next Day.”

She explained that staying true to herself became essential and described the importance of being honest about her experience in hopes it might help others.

In her book, the mom of three detailed mounting turmoil in the relationship during 2019 and 2020, including being plagued by nightmares. 

She alluded to Bill’s infidelity and his ties to Epstein, and reports later revealed she had hired divorce lawyers in 2019 after learning of her ex-husband’s continued meetings with Epstein.

Speaking with NPR this week, Melinda said the latest allegations brought her unbelievable sadness.

“I’m able to take my own sadness and look at those young girls and say, ‘My god, how did they — how did that happen to those girls?’” she said.

She continued, “I’ve left, I left my marriage, I had to leave my marriage, I wanted to leave my marriage, and so it’s just sad. That’s the truth.” 

Melinda added that she hopes for justice for Epstein’s victims who have come forward, describing their experiences as unimaginable.