Bill Gates is again speaking about his friendship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein by calling himself “foolish” and saying that spending any time with him was a “huge mistake.”

Gates spoke with the Wall Street Journal in a Friday-released interview, echoing remarks he has made in years past, ahead of his new book release.

The Microsoft co-founder, 69, authored “Source Code: My Beginnings,” that is set to release on February 4.

“In retrospect, I was foolish to spend any time with him,” Gates said of Epstein. “I think I was quite stupid. I thought it would help me with global health philanthropy. In fact, it failed to do that. It was just a huge mistake.”

In this Feb. 1, 2019, file photo, Bill and Melinda Gates smile at each other during an interview in Kirkland, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File))

Gates and Epstein had met a handful of times before Epstein’s death in 2019, when Epstein hanged himself in a jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. 

Gates said the situation made him more wary of his connections. 

Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in Cambridge, MA on Sept. 8, 2024. Epstein was connected with several prominent people, including politicians, actors and academics. Epstein was convicted of having sex with an underaged woman.  (Rick Friedman/Corbis)

Gates’ ex-wife, Melinda Gates, has said she was wary of his interactions with Epstein and met him personally on one occasion.

She told Gayle King in an interview in 2021 that Epstein was “evil personified.”

Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.