“Not one thing but many things…”
Melinda French Gates has publicly addressed her divorce with Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates for the first time since they announced their separation in May 2021.
In a recent interview with television journalist Gayle King, the businesswoman-philanthropist said it was “not one thing but many things” that hurt their 27-year marriage.
“It wasn’t one moment or one specific thing that happened. There just came a point in time where there was enough there where I realized it just wasn’t healthy, and I couldn’t trust what we had,” Melinda said.
She particularly mentioned Bill’s meetings with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“I did not like that he had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein, no. I made that clear to him,” Melinda said.
In a statement to the network behind the interview, Bill said that meeting with Epstein was a mistake that he regrets deeply: “It was a substantial error in judgment.”
What made matters worse was Bill’s affair 20 years ago, which a spokesperson of his confirmed in May 2021.
“I certainly believe in forgiveness, so I thought we had worked through some of that,” Melinda said.
Gates no keeper
In response to King asking if there were other affairs during their marriage, Melinda said “those are questions Bill needs to answer.”
Her former partner previously wrote about the divorce in his end-of-year letter dated December 7, 2021.
“Even though I think the things I’ve been working on are by far the most interesting part of my year, I know a lot of people are curious about a subject closer to home: my divorce,” Bill’s letter read.
“Melinda and I continue to run our foundation together and have found a good new working rhythm, but I can’t deny that it’s been a year of great personal sadness for me. Adapting to change is never easy, no matter what it is. I’ve been impressed by how resilient my loved ones—especially my kids—have been in this challenging time.”
Bill explained that his family experienced a lot of changes outside of what was featured in the news, including the marriage of their oldest daughter and the high school graduation of their youngest.
Foundation of marriage
The former couple together founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000. The private philanthropic foundation focuses on grant-making and advocacy efforts to eliminate global inequities and increase opportunities for those in need through different programs.
A couple of months following the announcement, the foundation’s chief executive officer and board member Mark Suzman said he had been exploring potential changes with Bill and Melinda in light of their divorce.
Changes they all agreed upon included expanding the foundation’s number of trustees and contributing an additional $15 billion to its endowment.
Banner Photo by Bill Gates via Twitter
