Bill Gates Epstein coverage intensified after Bill Gates told Australia’s Nine News on February 4, 2026 that he “regrets every minute” he spent with Jeffrey Epstein.
What Bill Gates said in the Nine News interview
In the Nine News/Channel Nine interview, Bill Gates Epstein questions were put directly to the Microsoft co-founder as renewed attention hit after the Justice Department’s latest release of Epstein-related materials. Gates said he was “foolish” to have spent time with Epstein and apologized for ever meeting him, according to Nine’s reporting and excerpts published in Australia. https://www.9news.com.au/world/bill-gates-denies-accusations-in-jeffrey-epstein-files/e8478e3b-4e12-442c-a373-04d8e2142aa7
Bill Gates Epstein statements in this interview cycle also included a defense of why he met Epstein at all. Gates said the meetings were linked to dinners and conversations about philanthropy and fundraising, rather than social recreation. Several reports also note Gates said he did not visit Epstein’s private island. https://www.9news.com.au/world/bill-gates-denies-accusations-in-jeffrey-epstein-files/e8478e3b-4e12-442c-a373-04d8e2142aa7
ABC Australia summarized the interview as Gates’ first direct response to a draft-email allegation that circulated after the new file release. ABC reported Gates described the claims as false. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-04/bill-gates-responds-to-alleged-behaviour-in-new-epstein-files/106305816
The DOJ release that reignited Bill Gates Epstein scrutiny
The Bill Gates Epstein news cycle is tied to a large federal disclosure. On January 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice said it published over 3 million additional pages responsive to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, bringing the total to nearly 3.5 million pages. DOJ also said the publication included more than 2,000 videos and about 180,000 images, combined with earlier releases. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-publishes-35-million-responsive-pages-compliance-epstein-files
Major outlets described the disclosure as a massive trove that is difficult to parse quickly and often heavily redacted. CBS News framed the scale as a core reason for the confusion and rapid amplification of fragments. https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/epstein-files-released-doj-2026/
This context matters for Bill Gates Epstein claims because much of what is circulating is not a sworn allegation. It is material drawn from investigative repositories, sometimes without full context.
What is in the Gates-related material, and what is not proven
The current Bill Gates Epstein controversy centers on draft or unsent emails attributed to Epstein. Multiple outlets describe at least one draft message in Epstein’s email files that makes lurid claims about Gates, including an STI allegation and an assertion about antibiotics involving Gates’ then-wife.
Gates denied the claims in the Nine News interview cycle, describing them as false and absurd. Business Insider reported Gates said the allegations were “completely false,” and that the documents do not establish wrongdoing by him. https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-denies-epstein-files-allegations-std-surreptitious-antibiotics-2026-1
The key point for readers is that Bill Gates Epstein allegations of this kind, when presented as draft notes or draft emails, are not automatically evidence. Drafts can be incomplete, self-serving, or fabricated. They can also be written as leverage. Several news reports describe the drafts as emails Epstein wrote to himself or held in draft form, which makes corroboration essential.
Timeline context: what Gates has previously said about meetings
Bill Gates Epstein meetings have been reported for years, including dinners and contacts in the early 2010s. In the current cycle, People reported Gates said the interactions occurred from 2011 to 2014, and that he now views them as a serious mistake. https://people.com/bill-gates-regrets-every-moment-spent-jeffrey-epstein-11899108
The Guardian reported Gates repeated that he regrets the relationship and apologized for meeting Epstein, while rejecting the fresh draft-email claims as false. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/04/bill-gates-epstein-relationship-melinda
Why the Bill Gates Epstein story is spreading beyond celebrity news
Bill Gates Epstein coverage is not only about personal reputation. It intersects with three larger dynamics.
1) The verification phase of the Epstein disclosure
The DOJ has released an enormous volume. That pushes reporters into triage: what is new, what is duplicated, and what has corroboration. The Bill Gates Epstein element is a test case, because a provocative draft can go viral even when independent evidence is not shown.
2) The redaction and context problem
Many files remain redacted, and even unredacted items can be hard to interpret. That matters because Bill Gates Epstein narratives can be built from a single snippet without the surrounding chain of emails, date metadata, or investigative notes.
3) The politics of subpoenas and oversight
The Bill Gates Epstein thread is now being pulled into U.S. politics. The Guardian reported Rep. Nancy Mace called for Gates to be subpoenaed as part of the broader Epstein-file fallout. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/04/bill-gates-epstein-relationship-melinda
A separate report describing Mace’s request says she asked House Oversight Chair James Comer to subpoena Gates. https://www.aol.com/articles/mace-seeks-subpoena-bill-gates-170555375.html
A subpoena push does not establish wrongdoing. But it raises the pressure on public figures to provide clearer timelines and explanations, which can prolong the Bill Gates Epstein news cycle.
What markets and institutions are watching
Bill Gates Epstein fallout is not a direct market driver like rates or earnings, but it can affect institutional risk.
For philanthropy and global health networks, it reopens questions about governance, donor vetting, and reputational spillovers. For large foundations and partner NGOs, the Bill Gates Epstein story can force renewed scrutiny of compliance, donor diligence, and messaging discipline.
For media and platforms, it increases the cost of moderation and verification. Viral claims can move faster than document review, especially with a repository of millions of pages.
What to watch next
The Bill Gates Epstein story will likely pivot on three developments.
Whether reporters can verify what the draft emails are, how they were created, and what metadata supports them.
Whether Congress formalizes requests for testimony or documents, and what scope is set.
Whether DOJ or courts clarify how much remains withheld or redacted under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Bill Gates Epstein coverage is now less about volume and more about corroboration. Until primary documents are contextualized, the safest reading is narrow: Gates expressed regret, denied the revived draft-email allegations, and the DOJ release continues to drive scrutiny with limited clarity.