Bill Gates wrote the code for the modern world. He couldn’t debug his own life.
The Microsoft co-founder and former world’s richest man has spent months facing renewed scrutiny over a series of deeply personal and controversial issues.
The Microsoft co-founder has spent months under scrutiny over past affairs, his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, and an alleged blackmail attempt he says targeted him.
The billionaire spent years in Epstein’s orbit. Gates testified that he first met Epstein in 2011, three years after the financier pleaded guilty to charges involving the prostitution of minors.
Looking back, Gates acknowledged he “probably should have” examined Epstein’s criminal history more closely.
By late 2014, he cut off all contact.
“I should never have met with Epstein in the first place,” Gates told the committee. “If the time I spent with Epstein lent him any credibility, I am deeply sorry.”
That apology came on June 10. Gates appeared before the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door session.
Newly released transcripts from that session confirmed what many had suspected about his marriage.
According to those documents released this week, the 70-year-old admitted to affairs with medical entrepreneur Dr. Alice Jacobs Nesselrodt, a Russian nuclear scientist, and a Russian bridge player. All while married to Melinda French Gates.
Bill Gates 'may have been in presence of Epstein’s victims' — CNN
He confirmed he was aware of Epstein’s criminal conviction upon meeting him, but was still interested in collaboration for global health fundraising
He denies witnessing crimes committed by Epstein
MTodayNews pic.twitter.com/X1a30EYt6w
— Jack Straw (@JackStr42679640) June 25, 2026
He told lawmakers he disclosed the affairs before their 2021 split. Those conversations were “very distressing” for Melinda. Divorce was not yet on the table.
“These affairs had nothing to do with my interactions with Epstein,” he said. “But they were painful for my family.”
Bill and Melinda met at a Microsoft sales meeting in 1987. They married on New Year’s Day in 1994 and raised three children, Jennifer, Rory, and Phoebe.
The couple built one of history’s most influential philanthropic organizations before separating in May 2021 and finalizing their divorce months later.
Then came the January 2026 DOJ document release. Gates’ name appeared in the files, including a draft email attributed to Epstein alleging Gates secretly asked him to provide Melinda with medication for a sexually transmitted infection and keep it from her.
Gates denied the allegation through his office, “The email is false.”
MELINDA GATES DIVORCED BILL… BECAUSE HE COULDN’T STOP VISITING JEFFREY EPSTEIN
She met Epstein once. Said it gave her nightmares.
⁰Told Bill how she felt.
⁰He kept going anyway.
⁰He picked Epstein over his own wife. pic.twitter.com/kBwzaDLn7f— HustleBitch (@HustleBitch_) July 9, 2025
Melinda was asked about her ex-husband’s life outside the marriage on NPR’s “Wild Card” podcast.
“Those questions are for my ex-husband,” she said. “They need to answer to those things, not me.”
Gates told Congress he was never blackmailed. But he acknowledged Epstein had been working toward exactly that.
“As you look at these emails,” he said, “it looks like Mr. Epstein’s brainstorming was going in that direction.” Through drafts, Epstein rehearsed how to use the affairs as leverage. None of those messages were ever sent. Gates believes Epstein was attempting “to further his agenda.”
Daily Mail readers also joined the discourse, calling him everything from “a sick low life” to an unfaithful man.
One person stated, “I feel sorry for Melinda and his children. They have to live this out in the media. They trusted him. Yes, they have money to help them through this, but imagine their disgust at family events, weddings and funerals…if he’s invited.”
Putting all the controversy into perspective, another stated: “Melinda knew who he was, and for many years she put up with him.”
Melinda French Gates has moved through the storm with composure. But privately, the toll has been real.
During the NPR, she also opened up about the pain of the ongoing Epstein revelations.
MELINDA GATES RESPONDS AFTER EPSTEIN FILES SUGGEST BILL GOT STD FROM RUSSIAN GIRLS
Melinda Gates responds after Epstein Files suggests Bill Gates got an STD from "Russian girls" and planned to secretly medicate her which came from an email in the latest Epstein files drop.… pic.twitter.com/pWT0PxVwkU
— SANTINO (@TheRealSantino) February 4, 2026
“Sad. Just unbelievable sadness,” she explained. “I’ve left my marriage. I had to leave my marriage. I wanted to leave my marriage. And it’s kind of like — at least for me — I’ve been able to move on in life.”
Melinda often claimed she warned Gates about Epstein years before their split. She departed the marriage with a $12.5 billion settlement after stepping down from the Gates Foundation in 2024.
She later launched the social progress organization, Pivotal Ventures, and turned her focus to reproductive rights, women’s health, and global equity.
Meanwhile, Gates called their divorce the greatest regret of his life. This is probably because he credits Melinda with being the stabilizing force in his life.
Now, it all seems to be unraveling. The man who built Windows and helped reshape the modern world could not stay faithful to the woman he said he loved and damaged his reputation in the process.
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