Melinda Gates Consults Divorce Lawyers After Learning Full Scope of Bill's Epstein Relationship
According to reporting by The Wall Street Journal and corroborated by CNN, Melinda Gates first consulted divorce lawyers in October 2019 — the same month The New York Times published its detailed investigation of Bill Gates's meetings with Jeffrey Epstein. Melinda told close friends she was troubled and saddened by the extent of the relationship, according to people familiar with her thinking cited by WSJ. Bill and Melinda Gates announced their divorce in May 2021; Melinda Gates later stated the Epstein association was a factor in her decision.
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February 2026
Bill Gates Apologizes to Gates Foundation Staff at Town Hall Meeting Over Epstein Association
In February 2026, Bill Gates addressed Gates Foundation staff at an all-hands town hall meeting, apologizing for the distraction and reputational harm caused by renewed coverage of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein following the DOJ document release. According to attendees cited by Reuters and The Guardian, Gates stated he recognized his judgment had been 'badly mistaken' and that he understood why staff felt their work was being overshadowed. He committed to a third-party review of Foundation governance and said he would accept its recommendations.
February 2026
Melinda French Gates Says Epstein Revelations Caused Her 'Unbelievable Sadness' in First Post-Divorce Interview
In a February 2026 interview with CBS News — her first extended television interview since the 2021 divorce — Melinda French Gates stated that learning of the full scope of Bill Gates's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein had caused her 'unbelievable sadness' and confirmed it was a key factor in her decision to end the marriage. She said she had first raised the issue with Gates directly after the October 2019 New York Times story. French Gates also praised the DOJ's document release as overdue transparency for Epstein's victims.
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