‘I Had to Leave My Marriage’: Melinda Gates Responds to Epstein Files’ STD Claims Against Bill Gates

Melinda French Gates has spoken publicly about the latest revelations in the Jeffrey Epstein files, which allege that her former husband and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates contracted a sexually transmitted disease after having sex with Russian women and later attempted to give her medication secretly.

In a podcast interview with NPR, Melinda Gates suggested that Bill Gates’s association with the late convicted sex offender may have played a role in the end of their 27-year marriage.

“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. 

She added that those named in the Epstein files must answer for their alleged actions. “They need to answer to those things, not me,”

Melinda Gates said the fresh disclosures caused her “unbelievable sadness,” reiterating that leaving the marriage was necessary. 

“It’s just sadness. That’s the truth. I left my marriage. I had to leave my marriage. I wanted to leave my marriage,” she said, adding that she eventually felt the need to step away from the Gates Foundation as well.

She also said she has been able to move forward and expressed hope that the women who were minors when Epstein was active would receive justice.

Bill Gates, one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, is mentioned in a newly released tranche of approximately 3.5 million documents linked to Epstein and made public by the US Justice Department. In the files, Epstein claimed in July 2013 that Gates asked an adviser to procure antibiotics to treat an STD allegedly contracted from “sex with Russian girls.”

In an email written in the voice of Boris Nikolic on July 18, 2013, Epstein claimed he was caught in a “severe marital dispute” between Bill and Melinda Gates. The message referenced helping Gates obtain medication, facilitating alleged illicit relationships, and other favours.

In another draft email, Epstein accused Gates of attempting to conceal his actions to protect his public image, including allegedly asking for antibiotics to be secretly given to Melinda French Gates.

“[You] implore me to please delete the emails regarding your std [sic]… and your request that I provide you antibiotics that you can surreptitiously give to Melinda,” the draft email read, warning of reputational and financial fallout if the marriage ended publicly.

Bill Gates has strongly denied all allegations. His spokesperson described the claims as “absolutely absurd and completely false,” stating that the documents only reflect Epstein’s frustration over not maintaining a relationship with Gates and his attempts to “entrap and defame” him.

Previously, The Wall Street Journal reported that Epstein allegedly threatened to expose Gates’s purported affair with Russian bridge player Mila Antonova in 2017 after Gates declined to join a charitable fund associated with Epstein and JP Morgan Chase.

Gates has consistently maintained that his interactions with Epstein were limited to philanthropic discussions. The latest release includes at least seven draft emails written between July 17 and 18, 2013, as part of the broader Epstein document trove.