Melinda French Gates ‘Did Not Like’ Husband’s Relationship With Epstein

Topline

Melinda French Gates said Thursday she “did not like” that her former husband Bill Gates had meetings with sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, in one of her first major interviews since divorcing the Microsoft co-founder in May.

Bill and Melinda Gates pose in front of the Elysee Palace before receiving the award of Commander of ... [+] the Legion of Honor by French President Francois Hollande on April 21, 2017 in Paris, France.

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Key Facts

French Gates told CBS’s Gayle King that “many things,” not just one, caused their split, but she “did not like that [Gates] had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein” and “made that clear” to him.

She said she met Epstein “one time” because she “wanted to see who this man was” and found him to be “abhorrent” and “evil personified,” and had “nightmares” about the experience.

Gates had admitted to having an affair “almost 20 years ago,” and French Gates said she believe[s] in forgiveness” and “thought we had worked through some of that.”

When asked about rumors that Gates had multiple affairs, French Gates said “those are questions Bill needs to answer.”

She also said she and Gates have “a productive working relationship” but there is still “still healing that needs to happen.”

The philanthropist said she is “definitely open” to meeting someone new and has started “dipping [her] toes” in the dating pool.

Contra

In a statement, Gates told CBS that “meeting with Epstein was a mistake that I regret deeply” and called it a “substantial error in judgment.”

Big Number

$6.2 billion. That’s how much French Gates is worth, according to Forbes’ estimates.

Key Background

The Gateses announced they were divorcing in May 2021 after 27 years of marriage, saying they “no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives” but would continue to work together. The split was finalized in August. Shortly after their divorce was announced, the Wall Street Journal reported that French Gates began speaking to divorce lawyers in 2019, when Gates’ relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was garnering headlines. Gates met with Epstein several times starting in 2011, according to the New York Times, including at Epstein’s infamous Manhattan townhouse. The former spouses agreed that if they cannot work together amicably through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the world, French gates would step down in 2023. In 2010 the couple pledged to distribute most of their wealth through their foundation, though the WSJ reported last month that French Gates has decided to give away the bulk of her fortune through other organizations.

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