Warren Buffett has excluded the Gates Foundation from his latest annual donation of Berkshire Hathaway stock, according to CNBC, as scrutiny intensifies over Bill Gates's past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and a review examines the foundation's ties to the convicted sex offender.
Buffett is donating 9 million Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares, each valued at slightly less than $500, to four foundations connected to his family. The Gates Foundation, once one of the largest beneficiaries of Buffett's annual philanthropy, isn't included in the latest distribution.
The shift puts fresh attention on a relationship that helped define modern American philanthropy. CNBC, citing The Wall Street Journal, reported that Buffett has suspended donations to the Gates Foundation while awaiting the results of a review concerning the organization and Epstein.
Buffett told The Wall Street Journal in March that he had not spoken with Gates "at all since the whole thing was unveiled."
"Until it gets cleared up ... I just don't think it makes sense to do a lot of talking," Buffett added.
Buffett's annual donations have historically moved billions of dollars in Berkshire stock into charitable organizations. CNBC noted that the Gates Foundation had for years ranked among the largest recipients of the donations, which the article said have totaled more than $43 billion since 2026.
The Berkshire chairman is now accelerating plans to distribute his remaining company holdings. In a statement announcing the latest donation, Buffett said his goal is "to dispose of all of my Berkshire shares within about eight years."
"As I explained last year, my children are unfortunately growing older. I have every hope that the three of them are able to carry out the disposal of my shares by December 31, 2034," Buffett said.
The Gates Foundation's omission comes as Gates faces renewed questions in Washington over his meetings with Epstein. Testifying before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the Microsoft co-founder acknowledged that he regretted the association.
Gates told lawmakers he "should have never met" Epstein.
"Based on what I know now, I understand that even if he had delivered the new donors he promised" to the Gates Foundation, Gates said in his opening statement, it "would not have justified associating with him."
Gates also sought to draw a line between his interactions with Epstein and any knowledge of Epstein's criminal conduct. "At the outset, I want to state very clearly: I never witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct," he said.
According to the article provided, Gates also said he never went to Epstein's island, ranch or Florida home. He has previously described their meetings as an effort to find wealthy donors willing to finance global health initiatives.
"The focus was always, he knew a lot of very rich people, and he was saying he could get them to give money to global health. In retrospect, that was a dead end," Gates told an Australian outlet earlier this year.
The controversy has also revived attention around an alleged email Epstein wrote to himself. The email claimed Gates had contracted a sexually transmitted disease and sought antibiotics that could secretly be given to his then-wife, Melinda.
Gates has categorically rejected the allegation. "Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself. Ah, that email was never sent. The email is false," he said.
"So, I don't know what his thinking was there. It just reminds me that every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologize I did that," Gates added.
