Melinda French Gates, ex-wife of billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, described meeting convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a tell-all interview Thursday.
In an interview with CBS Mornings’ Gayle King, French Gates said of Epstein, “I wanted to see who this man was and I regretted it from the second I stepped in the door. He was abhorrent. He was evil personified.” She continued saying, “I had nightmares about it afterwards.” Her comments were noted by Entertainment Tonight.
“So my heart breaks for these young women, because that’s how I felt. And here I’m an older woman. My God, I feel terrible for them,” French Gates said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“I did not like that he’d [Bill Gates] had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein, no,” French Gates continued, before clarifying that there were “many things” that led to her divorce from Gates. She made it clear to her then-husband that she did not like that he had met with Epstein, and said she’d met with Epstein “exactly one time,” ET confirmed.
In a statement to CBS News, Bill Gates said that “meeting with Epstein was a mistake that I regret deeply. It was a substantial error in judgment,” reported Vanity Fair. (RELATED: Why Exactly Was Bill Gates Palling Around With Jeffrey Epstein After He Was A Convicted Sex Criminal?)
Wow. Melinda Gates on the 1 time she met Jeffrey Epstein: “I regretted it from the second I stepped in the door. He was abhorrent. He was evil personified. I had nightmares about it…my heart breaks for these young women because that’s how I felt…” @CBSMornings pic.twitter.com/7vuJDgplHC
— Bo Erickson CBS (@BoKnowsNews) March 3, 2022
French Gates did not answer further questions regarding her ex-husband’s relationship with Epstein, or if he had any affairs other than that with a staffer in the early 2000s. “Those are for Bill to answer,” she said. French Gates added that she would not describe her and her ex-husband as friends, but the term “friendly” would apply.
“Friends is a different word for me and, you know, that might come over time, but for me, there’s still healing that needs to happen. Certainly, I wish him well. I don’t wish him harm, and I think we have a productive working relationship, and I think that will continue,” French Gates said, according to the ET.