Bill Gates’ Affairs, Jeffrey Epstein Ties, and Divorce Fallout Explained

Bill Gates’ public reputation was scandal-free for years, until an investigation exposed a messy work affair. Bill co-founded Microsoft, became one of the richest people in the world and later rebranded himself as a global health philanthropist. However, his private life continued to make headlines.

Now, Bill’s past affairs are back in the news after he testified before the House Oversight Committee about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. The testimony has sparked questions about Bill’s marriage to Melinda French Gates, their divorce and his admitted affairs.

Bill has acknowledged affairs during his marriage. The first major public admission came after Microsoft confirmed it had investigated a concern involving Bill and a company employee. Microsoft said it received a concern in 2019 that Bill had sought “an intimate relationship” with an employee in 2000.

"There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably," the spokeswoman said, per BBC. "Bill's decision to transition off the board was in no way related to this matter. In fact, he had expressed an interest in spending more time on his philanthropy starting several years earlier."

Then, in 2026, more details came out. According to People, Bill admitted to having two affairs with Russian women while married to Melinda.

One involved a Russian bridge player, and the other involved a Russian nuclear physicist he said he met through business. “I did have affairs,” Bill reportedly told staff. He also denied doing anything criminal with Jeffrey and said, “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit.”

Bill has said he met Jeffrey for philanthropy-related reasons. During his prepared remarks to Congress, Bill said he first met Jeffrey in 2011 through people he trusted in professional and philanthropic circles. According to People, Bill said Jeffrey claimed he could help raise billions of dollars for global health work.

However, that relationship became a huge problem. Jeffrey had already pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor. After Bill’s meetings with Jeffrey became public, Melinda made it clear she did not support that connection.

"I regretted it from the second I stepped in the door. He was abhorrent,” Melinda told CBS Mornings. “He was evil personified. I had nightmares about it afterwards. So, you know, my heart breaks for these young women, because that's how I felt, and here I'm an older woman. My god, I feel terrible for those young women. It was awful.”

Melinda also said there came a point where she realized she could not trust what they had. She described crying on the floor after the split and trying to figure out how to move forward. Melinda eventually chose to leave the marriage.

She said the divorce was not about one single thing. Instead, she described a build-up of issues that made the relationship unhealthy. “Those are questions Bill needs to answer,” she said when asked about reports of multiple affairs.