Bill Gates addressed his contentious past association with the late Jeffrey Epstein, saying that it was "a huge mistake" to engage with the convicted child sex offender.
"In retrospect, I was foolish to spend any time with him," the co-founder of Microsoft said in an interview that was published on Friday by the Wall Street Journal.
"I think I was quite stupid. I thought it would help me with global health philanthropy. In fact, it failed to do that. It was just a huge mistake," he added.
After Gates rejected to join his multibillion-dollar nonprofit fund with JPMorgan Chase in 2017, Epstein allegedly threatened to reveal Gates' alleged affair with Russian bridge player Mila Antonova.
Epstein has known Antonova since 2013, and he was the one who encouraged her to enroll in a school that teaches software coding.
Gates, who is 69 years old, acknowledged that he "definitely" became leery of building further ties after Epstein, a disgraced financier, committed suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on accusations of sex trafficking and federal conspiracy. Gates was reflecting on his relationship with Epstein.
A connection between the millionaire and Antonova is said to have lasted for a number of years. The billionaire was previously married to Melinda Gates from 1994 to 2021.
Melinda, who was 60 years old at the time, asserted that Epstein was responsible for the fall of her marriage to Bill in March of 2022.
According to Page Six, during an appearance on "CBS Mornings," the philanthropist disclosed that she had made the decision to end her 27-year marriage "for many things," one of which being her ex-husband's previous friendship with Epstein.
She stated that she did not approve of his meetings with Epstein and made that clear to him. She also claimed that she met Epstein only once, saying she wanted to see who he was.
Reflecting on the encounter, she admitted that she regretted it immediately, describing him as "abhorrent" and "evil personified." She expressed deep sympathy, saying her heart breaks for the women affected.
Bill stated that his divorce from Melinda will always be the "mistake" that he regrets the most. This statement was made in an interview with the Times of London that was published on Saturday.
He mentioned that there were others, but none of them were significant. He also explained that the divorce process was a source of misery for both him and Melinda for at least two years.
Jennifer, who is 28 years old, Rory, who is 25 years old, and Phoebe, who is 22 years old, are the three adult children who the exes have co-parented successfully.
Since then, Melinda has moved on with Philip Vaughn, who is an entrepreneur, while Bill is currently in a relationship with Paula Hurd.
