Unverifiable: Bill Gates sought marital advice from Jeffrey Epstein.

There is no evidence that Gates sought marital advice from Epstein, which has been recounted by anonymous sources and spurred conspiracy theories.Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates announced their divorce on May 4, 2021, after twenty-seven years of marriage. According to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, French Gates consulted with lawyers two years before filing for divorce, claiming their marriage was "irretrievably broken." On May 16, 2021, The Daily Beast reported that the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein allegedly advised Gates on how to end his marriage with French Gates during meetings at his Manhatten Townhouse. Several news outlets have run these stories, but the sources have remained anonymous. A month after Epstein's death in 2019, Gates told The Wall Street Journal that all meetings with Epstein had solely been about Gates's philanthropic efforts. He added that he never met Epstein in private and that he had no business relationship or a friendship with him. Around the same time, Gates's spokesperson called all reports stating otherwise baseless. Gates's spokeswoman Bridgitt Arnold denied The Daily Beast report and said the reports were false. She said that neither he seek any personal advice from Epstein nor discuss any possible involvement of Epstein in the Gates Foundation. She also stated that The Daily Beast's portrayal of his philanthropic meetings with Epstein and others was inaccurate. The New York Times reported the same story with anonymous sources. On May 18, Vice reported that Qanon supporters had felt spurred on by Fox News presenter Tucker Carlson's coverage of the allegations, where he hinted that the rumors were "proof" of a secret pedophile ring made up of wealthy, powerful Westerners. There is no way of proving that discussions between Epstein and Gates on Gates's marriage took place, with the claims giving way to potential conspiracy theories and misinformation. As such, we have marked the claim as unverifiable.