Melinda French Gates said in a clip from an upcoming interview shared by NPR on Tuesday that seeing her ex-husband’s name in the Epstein files brought back painful memories from her marriage, implying his involvement with Epstein to have contributed to their separation, and calling for Gates and all those involved to answer to the accusations.
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 14: Melinda Gates and Bill Gates (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Robin Hood)
Getty Images for Robin Hood
Key Takeaways
- Billionaire Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates was named in the latest batch of Epstein files released by the DOJ late last week, including in emails that Epstein sent to himself that alleged potentially illegal behavior.
- The emails from Epstein were addressed to Gates but not sent to Gates, according to the documents released.
- One email alleges that Gates requested that Epstein provide antibiotics for a sexually transmitted disease that he could “surreptitiously” give to French Gates.
- French Gates said the allegations caused her “unbelievable sadness,” and brought back “memories of some very very painful times,” adding she “had to leave [her] marriage.”
- French Gates also stated that she is now in a “beautiful place” in her life.
- A spokesperson for Bill Gates responded to French Gates’ comments in a statement to NPR, writing, “These claims are 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.”
- French Gates’ NPR interview will be released in full on Thursday.
Crucial Quote
“They need to answer to those things,” French Gates said of the allegations against her ex-husband and others, adding she’s happy to “be away from all the muck that was there.”
Tangent
The billionaire couple co-founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, which became the world’s largest private charitable foundation. Following their divorce, the couple announced that they would continue collaborating on the initiative, but French Gates stepped down as co-chair in June 2024, and the organization was renamed to the Gates Foundation. In May, Bill Gates announced a contribution of $200 billion to be made over the next 20 years and set a sunset date of 2045 for the foundation.
Key Background
Bill and Melinda Gates married in 1994, nearly two decades after Bill Gates co-founded Microsoft in 1975 and while he was already one of the world’s most powerful tech executives. Melinda, who joined Microsoft in 1987 and rose to general manager, left the company in 1996 to focus on family and philanthropy.
The couple announced their separation in May 2021, after close to 30 years of marriage. In a joint statement issued at the time, they wrote that the decision came “after a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship,” saying “we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives.”
Following the divorce, French Gates inherited a large part of Gates’ wealth and is now worth an estimated $29.6 billion, by Forbes’ count. A 2021 New York Times investigation alleged that Gates started his relationship with Epstein after he was convicted of sex crimes. Gates has since expressed regret over the relationship but denied wrongdoing.
This article was originally published on forbes.com and all figures are in USD.
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