Bill Gates’s Employees Used Custom Mannequin to Test Different 'Mister Rogers' Outfits for Him to Wear: Report

Raven BrunnerMon, June 1, 2026 at 7:20 PM UTC

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Bill Gates at 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' on Feb. 4, 2025.
Credit: Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty -

Employees reportedly used a custom mannequin to test different outfits for Bill Gates to wear before public events, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal

Current and former employees, tasked with maintaining his public image, told the newspaper the goal of outfits was "to depict someone calm and approachable, like Mister Rogers"

Gates is set to be interviewed by the House Oversight Committee on June 10 as part of their ongoing investigation into Jeffrey Epstein

For years, employees reportedly went to great lengths to strategically plan the outfits Bill Gates wore in public.

In a new report from The Wall Street Journal — which details how past ties between Gates, who has not been accused of wrongdoing, and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have negatively impacted the 70-year-old philanthropist's public image — current and former employees said they used a custom mannequin to test different outfits with the same goal: "to depict someone calm and approachable, like Mister Rogers."

Mister Rogers, born Fred Rogers, was the beloved creator and host of the children’s television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood from 1968 to 2001.

Employees told the newspaper that for years, a collection of neutral sweaters, button-downs shirts and pants were kept at an off-site building, and that they'd typically send over three options to senior staff while preparing for public appearances.

Fred Rogers of 'Mister Rogers Neighborhood' in the 1980s.
Credit: Fotos International/Courtesy of Getty

Back in 2019, his public image was so high that he was ranked as one of the world's most admired men in a YouGov survey, according to the newspaper. At the time, Forbes reported that Gates garnered 9.6% of the vote and had topped the list every previous year the survey was conducted.

In an email reviewed by the WSJ, Gates Ventures CEO Larry Cohen reportedly called the 2019 ranking “quite fantastic," noting that it "reflects the hard work and creativity of this team."

However, the newspaper reported that a more recent analysis prepared for the Gates Foundation found that there had been an increase of over 40% in "critical news narratives" about the Microsoft co-founder this year, citing internal documents they've reviewed.

In February, Gates admitted to having two affairs with Russian women while married to ex-wife Melinda French Gates, an admission that came on the heels of a new release of documents by the U.S. Justice Department related to their ongoing Epstein probe. Among the documents was a draft Epstein wrote to himself in which he accused Gates of contracting a sexually transmitted infection from “Russian girls” and then asking for Epstein's help to hide it from his then-wife.

A spokesperson for Gates previously called the claims “absolutely absurd and completely false.”

When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Gates said the Microsoft co-founder "was not involved in any illegal activities with Epstein and has acknowledged it was a mistake to have ever met with him."

"Gates has apologized for that mistake and is voluntarily speaking with the House Oversight Committee...to answer questions about his interactions with Epstein," the spokesperson adds. "Gates supports the release of all the Epstein files in hopes the victims can get the justice that they deserve.”

Bill Gates attends a session during the Philanthropy Asia Summit in Singapore on May 5, 2025.
Credit: ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty

Gates has previously said he was seeking charitable donations, reiterating as recently as February that "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. In retrospect, that was a dead end."

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In the foundation town hall meeting later that month, Gates also said it was a "huge mistake to spend time with Epstein" after first meeting the sex offender in 2011 — long after Epstein had pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution. He said they spent time together until 2014, but he never spent a night around Epstein or on one of his now infamous island properties.

He went on to acknowledge the shadow that's been cast over the foundation's work and reputation.

“It definitely is the opposite of the values of the foundation and the goals of the foundation,” he said. “And our work is very reputational sensitive. I mean, people can choose to work with us or not work with us.”

In April, the Gates Foundation announced that they had “commissioned an external review to assess past foundation engagement with Epstein, and our current policies for vetting and developing new philanthropic partnerships.”

When reached for comment by PEOPLE, a spokesperson for the foundation said "the harm Epstein inflicted on women and girls was horrific, and the foundation regrets having any employees interact with him in any way."

"The Gates Foundation remains focused on its mission to help improve lives in the US and globally; to advance that work, our Chair, CEO and Board remain fully engaged in the work ahead,” the statement continued.

Longtime friend Warren Buffett  — who has donated tens of millions of dollars to Gates' eponymous charity — has publicly distanced himself from the billionaire as well, telling CNBC in March he was keeping his distance while Gates waits to testify before Congress.

“I haven’t talked to him at all since the whole thing was unveiled,” the 95-year-old billionaire investor said of his current relationship with Gates. “I don’t want to be in a position where I know things. At the moment, I could get called as a witness.”

According to the Wall Street Journal's report, the televised comments came as a surprise to Gates Foundation executives.

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Gates is set to be interviewed by the House Oversight Committee on June 10.

“Gates was not involved in any illegal activities with Epstein and has acknowledged it was a mistake to have ever met with him," a spokesperson for Gates previously said in a statement to PEOPLE, adding that he "supports the release of all the Epstein files in hopes the victims can get the justice that they deserve.”

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