Melinda Gates Says Bill Gates's Relationship with Jeffery Epstein Contributed to Their Divorce
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After three decades of marriage, Bill and Melinda Gates divorced last year. In Melinda's petition for divorce, she described the marriage as "irretrievably broken." Now, in an exclusive interview with CBS Mornings, she is speaking out for the first time about what went wrong—including Bill's affairs and relationship with Jeffery Epstein.
Melinda told host Gayle King that it was "not one thing but many things" that led to their divorce. "I did not like that he had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein, no. I made that clear to him," the philanthropist, 57, told King.
She met Epstein one time, curious to see who he was, but says, "I regretted it the second I walked in the door. He was abhorrent. He was evil personified. My heart breaks for these women."
When Gayle asks if she shared her immense hatred for Epstein with Bill, Melinda is nodding, but says, "Any of the questions remaining about what Bill's relationship there was, those are for Bill to answer. But I made it very clear how I felt about him."
Jeffery Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 after being arrested on charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking. In a statement to CBS Mornings, Bill said that "meeting with Epstein was a mistake that I regret deeply. It was a substantial error in judgment." In August 2021, Bill told CNN he regrets the time he spent with Epstein.
In today's interview, Melinda also addressed Bill's alleged affair with a Microsoft employee.
"I certainly believe in forgiveness, so I thought we had worked through some of that," she told Gayle. "It wasn’t one moment or one specific thing that happened. There just came a point in time where there was enough there where I realized it just wasn’t healthy, and I couldn’t trust what we had."
When Gayle asks if Bill had multiple affairs, Melinda replies, "Those are questions Bill needs to answer."
The exes remain "friendly" but not friends, Melinda says. "There’s still healing that needs to happen. I certainly wish him well. I don’t wish him harm. I think we have a productive working relationship, and I think that will continue."
Watch the interview here:
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