Bill Gates has testified to U.S. Congress, admitting to extramarital affairs with three women, two of whom had connections to Jeffrey Epstein. The Microsoft co-founder disclosed these details during testimony related to an inquiry into Epstein, which has since been published.
Gates identified the women as Mila Antonova, a bridge player, and Karima Nigmatulina, a nuclear physicist. He also admitted to an affair with Dr. Alice Jacobs Nesselrodt, a medical entrepreneur. Gates stated that affairs with Antonova and Nigmatulina occurred when they were in their 20s and 30s, respectively, and that the affair with Nesselrodt began before 2010. He acknowledged that two of these women bore a resemblance to his wife, Melinda French Gates, though they were younger.
He informed the House oversight committee that he disclosed the affairs with the Russian women to French Gates in the spring of 2013, and the affair with Dr. Nesselrodt at an earlier, unspecified time. When asked if these affairs contributed to her decision to divorce him in 2021 after 27 years of marriage, Gates responded, "You would have to ask her, but I imagine that they were, yes." French Gates had previously stated in a 2021 CBS interview that her husband's relationship with Epstein had contributed to their divorce.
While testifying under oath, Gates indicated that Epstein later learned of the affairs with the Russian women and "contemplated blackmailing me." Gates stated he was not blackmailed but noted that Epstein's communications suggested such intentions. He also admitted to other extramarital affairs unrelated to Epstein.
Gates denied claims, circulating in emails released as part of the Epstein investigation, that he had contracted a sexually transmitted disease from one of the Russian women and had asked Epstein for assistance in treating his wife. A spokesperson for Gates has called it a "mistake" for Gates to have met with Epstein but denied any illegal activities with him.
This testimony follows years of questions regarding Gates's personal life. Books published in the past have alleged infidelity dating back to his time as a student and early days at Microsoft. Author James Wallace claimed in his 1997 book "Overdrive: Bill Gates And The Race To Control Cyberspace" that Gates frequented adult entertainment establishments and hosted bachelor parties involving hired dancers. Wendy Goldman Rohm, in her 1998 book "The Microsoft File," detailed an alleged seven-month affair between Gates and Stefanie Reichel, a Microsoft employee, in 1992.
Another reported relationship involved venture capitalist Ann Winblad, whom Gates dated from 1984 to 1987. They reportedly maintained a close friendship, with Gates seeking her advice on proposing to Melinda French. Even after marrying French, Gates allegedly kept a framed photo of Winblad in his office and arranged to spend a long weekend alone with her annually at her beach cottage, an arrangement French Gates reportedly agreed to.
In 2019, an unnamed software engineer at Microsoft alerted the company to an affair Gates had with an employee two decades prior, which was investigated by Microsoft's board. According to a 2021 New York Times report, Gates pursued other women within Microsoft and the Gates Foundation, though his approaches were described as not predatory but sometimes disapproved of by staff.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Microsoft board's decision for Gates to step down in 2020 was influenced by an inappropriate in-house affair brought to their attention the previous year. A Gates spokesperson maintained the affair ended amicably and was unrelated to his departure from the board.
More recently, in 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported on Gates's affair with Mila Antonova, whom he met around 2010. Antonova reportedly met Epstein in 2013 and sought funding for a bridge-teaching website. Epstein later reportedly asked Gates to reimburse him. Another woman, Dr. Melanie Walker, a brain surgeon who worked for the Gates Foundation and Gates's private office, was also reportedly close to Epstein. The Wall Street Journal reported in March that her relationship with Gates had become sexual by 2017, described by a Gates spokesperson as "consensual," with Epstein allegedly encouraging their relationship.
In 2024, a book by Anupreeta Das, a former finance editor at The New York Times, suggested Epstein's "lifestyle was very different and kind of intriguing although it would not work for me" to Gates. Das also claimed Gates was known for "clumsy" advances toward young women at Microsoft, likening him to "a kid in a candy store" with interns. A spokesperson for Gates criticized the book, stating it relied on hearsay and included "highly sensationalized allegations and outright falsehoods."