Had to leave: Melinda Gates on the Epstein files’ STD claim against Bill and why she had no choice but to leave

The Jeffrey Epstein files have rocked the upper echelons of society. The latest tranche has forced everyone mentioned to offer up an explanation for how they ended up on his emailing lists in the first place. The emails reveal a class of individuals who are well-connected and organized, yet seemingly lacking in a moral compass. The allegations surrounding Bill Gates have by far been the most damaging, and now his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, is ready to face these matters head-on.

Bill Gates has long downplayed his relationship with Epstein whenever their past has been brought up in the media. Initially, the narrative was that Gates wanted Epstein to help him secure a Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work. But after recent files surfaced in early 2026, Epstein was revealed to have drafted messages to himself alleging that Gates contracted an STI from “Russian girls” and wanted the convicted child sex criminal to help him surreptitiously administer medicine to Melinda without her knowledge, just in case he spread it to her.

Bill has had the opportunity to respond to the claims and, according to the Microsoft co-founder, he has never seen those emails before and they have no basis in truth. He insists that his relationship with Epstein was strictly based on utilizing the financier’s network of wealthy people to donate money to the Gates Foundation and its various humanitarian efforts across the globe.

Until recently, Melinda has not had an opportunity to respond to the accusations. According to the BBC, Melinda recently appeared on the NPR podcast Wild Card and the question of how she’s processing this news inevitably came up. Melinda was scathing in her response. She said, “I am so happy to be away from all the muck.” But she also spared some sympathy for the victims, saying she was majorly affected by the saga.

Melinda shared that the name Epstein dredges up “painful times” in her marriage. This was the first time she formally acknowledged that Bill’s relationship with the late, connected New York financier ultimately contributed to the dissolution of her marriage. Melinda said she still holds “unbelievable sadness” and that she wants answers from all the people named in the files, just like everyone else. She stated, “Whatever questions remain there of what — I can’t even begin to know all of it — those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband. They need to answer to those things, not me.”

Melinda Gates responds after Epstein Files suggest Bill Gates got an STD from “Russian girls” and planned to secretly medicate her.

NPR: “The emails in the files suggest that Bill Gates had additional affairs and that he tried to get medication to treat a sexually transmitted… pic.twitter.com/gF1jRJyRb5

— Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) February 3, 2026

The tech philanthropist still says he’s deeply regretful of ever knowing Epstein and he remains confident that as more files are released, he will eventually be exonerated from any wrongdoing. It’s still early and perhaps he is right — but the files have revealed that the reason why Epstein was well-connected with so many industry leaders had little to do with his financial astuteness, but rather his infamous parties.

Just weeks ago, Melinda French Gates reportedly finalized the receipt of nearly $8 billion from her broader divorce settlement. As for the rest of his over $200 billion, Bill has pledged that he plans on giving it all away to needy causes in Africa. Whether it is atonement or benevolence, time will tell.