Bill Gates told a Gates Foundation town hall that he "took responsibility" for his contacts with Jeffrey Epstein and apologized to staff for involving foundation personnel in meetings with the late financier. DOJ documents show Gates and Epstein met repeatedly after Epstein's prison term to discuss philanthropy, and some released materials included photos of Gates with women whose faces were redacted. Gates reportedly denied any illicit behavior, said affairs Epstein discovered did not involve victims, and the foundation reiterated it never paid or employed Epstein. Gates also withdrew from India’s AI Impact Summit shortly before his scheduled keynote.
Bill Gates Says He ‘Took Responsibility’ For Ties To Jeffrey Epstein, Apologizes To Staff
FILE PHOTO: Bill Gates in January 2026 at the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
Bill Gates told employees at a scheduled Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation town hall that he "took responsibility for his actions" regarding his contacts with the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a foundation spokesperson told Reuters on Tuesday.
What Gates Said At The Town Hall
The foundation said Gates spoke candidly and answered a range of questions about the release of Justice Department materials related to Epstein. According to a Wall Street Journal report that cited a recording of the meeting, Gates apologized for spending time with Epstein and for drawing Foundation staff into meetings with him. "I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made," Gates reportedly said.
"I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit," Gates told staff, according to the Journal, while also saying he never spent time with Epstein's victims.
DOJ Documents And Photos
Documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice indicate Gates and Epstein met on multiple occasions after Epstein's prison term to discuss philanthropic work. Some DOJ materials included photos of Gates with women whose faces were redacted; the Journal reported Gates said those images were taken at Epstein's request by Epstein's assistants after meetings.
Affairs Acknowledged, Boundaries Reiterated
The Journal also reported that Gates told staff he had two affairs with Russian women that Epstein later learned about, and that those relationships did not involve any of Epstein's victims. Gates has repeatedly said his interactions with Epstein were limited to philanthropy-related discussions and described meeting him as a mistake.
Foundation Response And Other Developments
A Gates Foundation spokesperson reiterated that the foundation never paid Epstein nor employed him, and that the town hall was a scheduled event in which Gates addressed staff questions in detail. Separately, Gates withdrew from India’s AI Impact Summit hours before he was scheduled to give the keynote.
Context
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, co-founded by Gates in 2000 and chaired by him, is among the world's largest funders of global health programs. The scrutiny over Gates's contacts with Epstein centers on the appropriateness of engaging with someone who was convicted of sex crimes, and on whether such contacts exposed staff or foundation activities to reputational risk.
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