Melinda French Gates broke her silence on the latest tranche of Jeffrey Epstein files in a revealing NPR interview released Thursday, saying the newly surfaced allegations about her ex-husband Bill Gates bring back "memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage." The 61-year-old philanthropist, who divorced the Microsoft co-founder in 2021, told NPR she feels "unbelievable sadness" each time new Epstein documents surface — but made clear she believes it is Bill, not her, who must answer the public's questions.

Three Million Pages and a Damning Email

The U.S. Department of Justice released approximately three million pages of Epstein-related documents on January 30, including 2,000 videos and 180,000 images — the largest single dump since the Epstein Files Transparency Act was signed into law. Among the documents was an email Epstein allegedly wrote to himself referencing Gates, claiming the tech billionaire had begged him to "delete the emails regarding your STD" and to provide antibiotics he could "surreptitiously give to Melinda."

A spokesperson for Bill Gates called the allegation "absolutely absurd and completely false." Gates himself told 9News Australia this week that the email was never sent and that he doesn't know what Epstein's "thinking was there." He added: "Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologise that I did that."

'Happy to Be Away From the Muck'

Melinda French Gates, however, offered a markedly different tone. "No girl should ever be put in the situation that they were put in by Epstein and whatever was going on with all of the various people around him," she told NPR. She said that while she has "moved on," the new revelations still sting.

"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," she said. "They need to answer to those things, not me. I am so happy to be away from all the muck that was there."

When asked whether she had forgiven Bill, Melinda was guarded: "I'm gonna keep that one to myself. I think I'm getting there."

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Congressional Pressure Mounts

The interview has already had political consequences. Republican South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace wrote on X that she "immediately asked the chairman of oversight, James Comer, to subpoena Bill Gates" after watching Melinda's NPR appearance. Former President Bill Clinton is already scheduled to testify before the House about his own Epstein connections, and Mace's push could make Gates the next major figure called to Capitol Hill.

The timing is significant. Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former associate, invoked the Fifth Amendment during her own House deposition this week while simultaneously appealing for clemency from President Trump — a move that has drawn bipartisan criticism. The parallel investigations and testimony have kept the Epstein saga at the center of American political life more than six years after his death.

Gates's Defense: Dinners, Not the Island

Bill Gates has maintained that his relationship with Epstein was limited to group dinners between 2011 and 2014, focused on recruiting wealthy donors for global health initiatives. He has repeatedly denied visiting Epstein's private island or having any involvement with the sex trafficking operation. "The focus was always, he knew a lot of very rich people, and he was saying he could get them to give money to global health," Gates told 9News. "In retrospect, that was a dead end."

But critics, including Daily Mail columnist Caroline Bullock, have pointed out that Melinda's public statements — while stopping short of specific accusations — have a cumulative effect of fueling speculation rather than clarifying the record. Bullock called French Gates's approach "stinking hypocrisy," arguing that if she has information relevant to Epstein's crimes, the appropriate venue is law enforcement, not sympathetic interviews.

The Bigger Picture

The Epstein files continue to cast a long shadow over some of the world's most powerful people. The updated New York Magazine tracker of individuals named in the files now includes dozens of major public figures, from tech executives to royals. With Buckingham Palace signaling cooperation with police investigating Prince Andrew's Epstein ties, and Congress continuing to press for testimony, the reckoning appears far from over.

For Melinda French Gates, the message was clear: she has found a way forward. "I'm able to take my own sadness and look at those young girls and say, 'my God, how did that happen to those girls?'" she said. "At least for me, I've been able to move on in life."

Whether Bill Gates will be given the same luxury by Congress remains to be seen.