Bill Gates nervously chuckled while denying that he had ever visited Jeffrey Epstein’s notorious private island, despite maintaining a relationship with the disgraced financier.
The Microsoft co-founder discussed Epstein, artificial intelligence and other subjects during an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press that aired Sunday.
Gates appeared visibly uneasy and laughed nervously as journalist Kristen Welker questioned him about his dealings with Epstein.
“I really appreciated the chance to go in front of Congress and make it clear, uh, you know, to go through every meeting I have with him—which is about 10 meetings over a couple-year period,” he told Welker.
In June, Gates gave a closed-door deposition to the House Oversight Committee about his connection to Epstein.
He continued to hesitate at points as he said: “I never—there were never any women in those meetings, there’s nothing financially, I never went to the island or anything like that.”
“So if people are curious about that, I encourage them to read. You know, I was there to answer any question that people had,” Gates added.
Gates was referring to Epstein’s secluded Caribbean property, which became known as “pedophile island.”
The Microsoft co-founder laughed nervously while answering questions about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein during a recent Meet the Press interview
Gates denied visiting Epstein’s infamous “pedophile island,” where the convicted sex offender was accused in lawsuits, federal investigations and witness testimony of trafficking, abusing and exploiting underage girls and women
Federal investigations, civil lawsuits and accounts from multiple victims have described Epstein’s use of the island in the trafficking, abuse and exploitation of underage girls and women.
Epstein, who was found hanging in his federal jail cell in 2019, had connections to numerous prominent people, including Gates.
Gates, 70, remained in contact with Epstein for years, despite Epstein’s status as a registered sex offender at the time.
Following Epstein’s death, Gates repeatedly apologized for the relationship. During his congressional appearance, he also said he wished they had never met.
Before that appearance, reports had emerged alleging that Gates had slept with Russian women, contracted a sexually transmitted infection and planned to secretly give antibiotics to his then-wife, Melinda French Gates.
The claims, made public on January 30, came from emails Epstein wrote and sent to himself on July 18, 2013.
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After the allegations surfaced, Gates held a private town hall meeting with employees of the Gates Foundation, one of the world’s largest private philanthropic organizations. Melinda French Gates resigned as the foundation’s co-chair in 2024.
At the closed-door meeting, known internally as “BG Unplugged,” the Microsoft executive acknowledged having two affairs with the Russian women referenced in Epstein’s correspondence, according to a previous report by The Wall Street Journal.
During the Meet the Press interview, Gates also said Epstein used their relationship to enhance his own reputation
Gates, 70, continued his relationship with Epstein for years even though Epstein was a registered sex offender at the time
During his Meet the Press interview, Gates also accused Epstein of using their friendship to build his own reputation.
‘I was told by Jeffrey after I met him that he could help raise billions of dollars for global health – you know, he wouldn’t be paid, he would have no role.
‘That proved to be a complete dead end. So my spending time with him, like many other people, kind of helped his reputation. You know, that’s very regrettable,’ he said.
French Gates has also spoken out about her ex-husband’s ties to Epstein, and shared a chilling encounter she had with the pedophile.
In a candid interview with The Guardian in June, the billionaire philanthropist opened up about her painful divorce from Gates, her horror after meeting Epstein and her determination to use her vast fortune to transform women’s healthcare.
While discussing Epstein, the 61-year-old became visibly emotional when asked what about him disturbed her so deeply when she met him.
‘My heart is racing,’ she said, before asking a striking question of her own.
‘Have you ever in your life been around somebody that you just know is evil?
Amid the fallout from the Epstein Files release, Bill Gates and his ex-wife Melinda French Gates’ marriage fell apart. She has openly spoken out about ‘evil’ Epstein
‘There you go. You just have your answer. We need to listen to our feelings about people,’ she told the outlet.
Amid the fallout from the Epstein Files release, their marriage fell apart following Gates’s extramarital affairs.
Gates has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein and says he never witnessed any criminal activity, but conceded that his friendship with the pedophile was a ‘grave error in judgment.’