Melinda Gates discusses ‘painful’ divorce from Bill Gates and details ‘things that happened outside the marriage’

Melinda French Gates recently opened up about her divorce from Bill Gates during a podcast interview, sharing how difficult the process was and what led her to finally make the decision to end their 27-year marriage. She said that while things might have looked perfect from the outside, behind closed doors it was a different story.

On the podcast How To Fail with Elizabeth Day, Melinda talked about how she started noticing signs that the relationship wasn’t working anymore. She described having a gut feeling, an “inner voice,” that told her something was wrong.

At first, she tried to ignore it, especially because she later found out about things that happened outside of the marriage that deeply affected her. But eventually, that feeling became too strong to push away. She said it got to a point where she couldn’t ignore it anymore—she just knew, deep down, that something had to change.

Melinda explained that she took time to be alone with her thoughts, to reflect on why she was staying in the relationship and what her life might look like if she left. She admitted that part of the reason she stayed as long as she did was because of their three children Jennifer, Rory, and Phoebe and also because of the work they were doing together through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. That work meant a lot to her, and she still believes in the mission of the foundation.

Despite everything, Melinda said the decision wasn’t made quickly or lightly. She emphasized that she took marriage seriously and wasn’t just thinking about herself—there were five people involved, including their children. She wanted to be sure before taking such a big step.

Melinda and Bill first met in 1987 during a Microsoft meeting, when she was working as a product manager and he was the CEO. They got married in 1994 and shocked the public when they announced their divorce in 2021. It later came out that they had actually separated a year earlier but kept it private.

There were rumors and reports about what might have contributed to the split. One issue Melinda publicly confirmed was her discomfort with Bill’s meetings with Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender. She said those meetings deeply disturbed her and were one of the things that caused problems in their relationship. She made it clear to Bill at the time that she didn’t approve of him meeting with Epstein, calling him “evil personified.”

Since the divorce, Melinda has started a new relationship with entrepreneur Philip Vaughn. Bill is currently dating Paula Hurd, a former tech executive. Despite the end of their marriage, they continue to be involved in each other’s lives because of their children and grandchildren.

Bill has expressed regret over how things ended, saying the divorce is one of the biggest mistakes of his life. However, both have moved on and seem to be finding peace in their new lives, while still remaining connected through their family.