Alright, so Bill Gates is back out there doing damage control, and if this all feels familiar, that’s because it is. Every few months, another batch of Epstein-related documents drops, another name gets dragged back into the spotlight, and another powerful figure steps up to say some version of I regret it, I was foolish, but nothing happened. This time, Gates took that message all the way to Australian television.
In an interview with 9 News Australia, Gates addressed newly released DOJ documents that included draft emails Epstein apparently wrote to himself, emails that made allegations about Gates and women, including claims about sexual behavior and even an alleged STD he supposedly hid from his wife at the time. Gates flatly denied all of it. He said the email was never sent, was completely false, and suggested Epstein may have been trying to smear or pressure him in some way.
And Gates didn’t mince words about one thing: he regrets every minute he spent with Epstein. He said that line more than once, which tells you he wants it to land. According to Gates, he first met Epstein in 2011, years after Epstein’s earlier conviction, and their interactions were limited to dinners that went on until about 2014. He framed the relationship as transactional and naive, saying Epstein claimed he could help connect Gates with ultra-wealthy donors who might contribute to global health initiatives. In Gates’ words, it was a dead end, and he was foolish for believing it.
Now, this is where the public skepticism comes in, because Gates is not some inexperienced twenty-something getting dazzled by a fancy dinner invite. He’s one of the most powerful, connected people on the planet. When he says he didn’t see the red flags, a lot of people raise an eyebrow. Epstein wasn’t exactly subtle, and by 2011 his reputation was already radioactive in elite circles.
Gates also issued very clear denials. He said he never went to Epstein’s island, never met any women through Epstein, and never engaged in any of the behavior Epstein became infamous for. As more documents come out, Gates insists they will only reinforce that his involvement was a mistake of judgment, not of morality or criminal conduct.
Bill Gates says he regrets every minute he spent with Jeffrey Epstein and that he never went to the island pic.twitter.com/ohmVTC3mvv
— ProveX (@PulseProveX) February 4, 2026
This latest round of comments also comes with added pressure from a very specific source: his ex-wife. Melinda French Gates has been unusually blunt about the Epstein connection, saying Bill needs to answer for it. She’s made it clear that whatever questions remain are his to deal with, and she has no interest in being associated with what she called the muck surrounding Epstein. That matters, because it suggests this issue wasn’t just a public relations headache, but a deeply personal fracture inside their marriage.
Gates’ spokesperson echoed the same line he’s been giving for years, calling the allegations absurd and false, and painting Epstein as a manipulator who was frustrated that he couldn’t maintain a relationship with Gates. According to that narrative, Epstein lashed out the only way he knew how, by trying to entrap and defame people with influence.
And that’s really the uncomfortable gray zone at the heart of all this. Epstein was a predator, but he was also a social operator who understood leverage, intimidation, and reputation destruction. That doesn’t automatically clear everyone who crossed paths with him, but it does complicate the story.
What’s clear is this: the Epstein shadow isn’t going away anytime soon. Every document release reopens old wounds, raises new questions, and forces powerful people to explain why they were there at all. Gates may regret it, apologize for it, and deny wrongdoing, but for the public, the question lingers. When someone like Jeffrey Epstein enters your life, how much ignorance is believable, and how much responsibility comes with simply showing up to the table?
