Bill Gates
What role did Jeffrey Epstein play in the divorce?
Bill Gates in 2013, when he is said to have met Jeffrey Epstein
© imago / ZUMA Press
Several reasons are said to have led to the divorce of Bill and Melinda Gates – including allegedly Jeffrey Epstein.
Why are Bill (65) and Melinda Gates (56) getting divorced? According to matching media reports, meetings between the Microsoft co-founder and the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein (1953-2019) are said to have played a role.
Melinda Gates is said to have been in contact with divorce lawyers as early as the end of 2019, as the Wall Street Journal writes. The daily newspaper cites anonymous sources with insight into the situation and relevant documents. She met lawyers from several companies around two years ago. According to the report, concerns about her husband’s meeting with Epstein were one of the reasons for the divorce that has now been filed.
Apparently she wanted nothing to do with Epstein
Also the US website “The Daily Beast” has a corresponding article released. According to insiders, Melinda Gates allegedly met Epstein with Bill Gates in 2013. She is said to have been upset about the relationship between the two, as it is said. She apparently told friends that the meeting was uncomfortable for her and that she wanted nothing to do with Epstein.
2019 the “New York Times” reportedthat there had been several meetings between Bill Gates and Epstein in the previous years. A spokeswoman for the entrepreneur said at the time that it should always have been about philanthropy. Gates regrets having ever met Epstein. In 2019, the 65-year-old also said in an interview with the “Wall Street Journal”: “I met him. I had no business relationships or friends with him.” A spokeswoman had now told the daily newspaper that Gates stood by his statement at the time and did not want to comment on it. Melinda Gates did not respond to inquiries.
The still couple Gates announced on May 3 that they would divorce after 27 years of marriage. “After careful consideration and a lot of work on our relationship, we made the decision to end our marriage,” the two had in a statement on Twitter among other things explained.
The US magazine “People” had reported laterthat “a combination of things” is said to have led to divorce. Among other things, the fact that their daughter Phoebe (18) is now grown up is said to have played a major role. The couple themselves have not yet commented on the reasons. The statement only said that they wanted to continue the work on the charitable Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation together, but that they did not believe in being able to “grow together” in private as a couple.