Melinda Gates Speaks Out About Her Divorce from Bill Gates

After nearly three decades of marriage, Bill and Melinda Gates announced their decision to divorce in May. The couple's separation will impact not only their world-renowned philanthropic organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, but also their cumulative fortune. In August, the couple's divorce was made final, after a judge approved their agreement.

According to CNN, neither Bill nor Melinda will pay spousal support, as per court documents. No other financial details were made publicly available. The documents did note that Melinda French Gates does not plan on changing her name. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Gates’ net worth was around $152 billion prior to the divorce, which means he and French Gates could each be worth around $76 billion now.

In an interview with Gayle King in February 2022, Melinda shared for the first time what went wrong in their marriage, telling King it was "not one thing but many things," including Bill's relationship with Jeffery Epstein and his alleged affairs.

"I certainly believe in forgiveness, so I thought we had worked through some of that," she said. "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."

Bill Gates, who co-founded Microsoft, is one of the richest people in the world. He and his wife have also become philanthropic leaders, donating much of that fortune to their foundation. Recently, the pair has become influential in combatting COVID-19 globally, in addition to running various massive public health initiatives. Bill and Melinda Gates also have three children, Jennifer, Phoebe, and Rory.

The couple began dating in 1987, when Melinda went to work at Microsoft. The Gates' shared further insights into their decision to separate on Twitter. "After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage," the couple wrote.

The Gates' also referenced continuing their foundation's work. "Over the past 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives," they said. "We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives."

Last year, Bill Gates stepped down from Microsoft's board to spend more time on the Gates Foundation. He and Melinda are co-chairs and trustees of the organization, which launched in 2000. The foundation is worth $51 billion in assets, according to CNBC.

The exes remain "friendly" but not friends, Melinda said in February 2022. "There’s still healing that needs to happen. I certainly wish him well. I don’t wish him harm. I think we have a productive working relationship, and I think that will continue."

We will continue updating this post as more information about the divorce becomes available.

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