Overview
- Bill Gates admitted in a recent interview that his meetings with Jeffrey Epstein were a 'huge mistake' and did not advance his philanthropic goals as he had initially hoped.
- Epstein reportedly attempted to leverage knowledge of Gates' alleged affair with Russian bridge player Mila Antonova to pressure him into joining a charitable fund in 2017, though Gates denies any financial dealings with Epstein.
- The association with Epstein contributed to the breakdown of Gates' marriage, with Melinda Gates citing it as one of the reasons for their 2021 divorce after 27 years of marriage.
- Melinda Gates described her sole meeting with Epstein as deeply unsettling, calling him 'abhorrent' and 'evil personified,' and expressing immediate regret for the encounter.
- Gates stated that Epstein's death in 2019 and the controversies surrounding their interactions have made him more cautious about forming new connections.