A Look at the Surprising Aftermath of Bill and Melinda Gates' Divorce

Melinda Gates connected "Unbelievably Painful" Split From Bill Gates

There's nary specified happening arsenic a billion-dollar divorcement that slips nether the radar—let unsocial a $124 cardinal divorce.

And the May 3, 2021, announcement that Bill Gates and Melinda Gates were ending their matrimony aft 27 years came arsenic a daze regardless, the Microsoft cofounder and his spouse successful planetary philanthropy innocuously chugging along all that time, their Seattle-area location basal a 66,000-square-foot mega-mansion with its ain formation connected the enactment of Lake Washington.

Though there's no specified happening arsenic excessively overmuch space astatine times.

"Working from home—that was a portion that I deliberation we hadn't truly individually prepared for rather arsenic much," Melinda told The New York Times successful October 2020, mid-pandemic.

"The unusual happening astir COVID is that it gave maine the privateness to bash what I needed to do," Melinda reflected to Fortune in the autumn of 2022. "It's unbelievably painful, successful innumerable ways, but I had the privateness to get done it."

Among the contiguous questions successful the aftermath of the divided news: What was to go of their eponymous foundation, which since 2000 had dispersed $53.8 cardinal to nationalist wellness and improvement initiatives, including $20 cardinal of the couple's ain Microsoft stock? And what astir each their wealth successful general, since 1 of the archetypal behind-the-scenes details to travel retired astir the parents of 3 was that they had no prenuptial agreement?

Bill—who started Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975, erstwhile the thought of idiosyncratic computers successful each location was inactive subject fiction—met Melinda French connected the occupation successful 1987, astir 4 months aft she joined Microsoft, the lone pistillate successful the company's 10-person MBA recruitment people that year.

The precocious schoolhouse valedictorian and Duke University grad, whose begetter brought location an Apple II erstwhile she was 14, sparking her involvement successful programming, sat successful 1 of lone 2 unfastened seats at a commercialized just meal successful New York and Bill arrived and took the different chair. Melinda later said of the CEO that helium "was funnier than I expected him to be."

Some months went by earlier Bill archetypal asked her out, taking the accidental erstwhile they bumped into each different (not literally) successful the parking batch connected a Saturday. "Everybody seemed to enactment connected a Saturday astatine Microsoft," Melinda explained connected the Jan. 20, 2021, occurrence of the What's Her Story With Sam & Amy podcast. But he suggested 2 weeks from Friday, and she informed him that wasn't spontaneous capable for her, that she had nary thought what she'd beryllium up to that acold ahead.

He got her fig (and the message) and called to see if she was disposable for a portion that night, after the assorted meetings connected his schedule.

Melinda didn't stock the individuality of that peculiar confidante, but successful 1997 Bill told TIME that helium consulted his ex-girlfriend and chap tech wiz Ann Winblad before popping the question.

"When I was disconnected connected my ain reasoning astir marrying Melinda, I called Ann and asked for her approval," helium shared. Ann told the magazine, "I said she'd beryllium a bully lucifer for him due to the fact that she had intelligence stamina."

Bill and Melinda got engaged successful 1993 and, having already talked astir starting a foundation, joined successful Hawaii connected Jan. 1, 1994. Willie Nelson performed astatine the nuptials.

Meanwhile, Bill made nary concealed of the information that helium and Ann, who had traveled to Brazil, Central Africa and different far-flung locations unneurotic arsenic a mates earlier breaking up successful 1987, continued to enjoy their contented of yearly getaways—a agelong play each outpouring astatine her formation cottage successful North Carolina—with Melinda's understanding. 

"We tin play putt-putt portion discussing biotechnology," Bill told TIME. (A root told the New York Post in the aftermath of the Gates divorcement filing that Ann joined detective Alex Kline, member of histrion Kevin Kline.)

So, that wasn't precise normal, but what is when your hubby is busily moving 1 of the astir palmy and universally renowned companies of each time? Even their monolithic house, which Bill had started gathering erstwhile helium was a bachelor, made Melinda a small uneasy astatine first, chiefly due to the fact that it was a beingness determination helium had spearheaded without her.

"I didn't peculiarly privation to determination into that house," she admitted successful her book. "In fact, I didn't consciousness similar Bill and I were connected the aforesaid leafage of what we wanted, and we had small clip to sermon it. So successful the mediate of each that, I deliberation I had a situation of self. Who bash I privation to beryllium successful this marriage. And it pushed maine to fig retired who I was and what I wanted to do."

Melinda recalled successful the publication however "shocked" Bill was erstwhile she told him during her archetypal gestation that, aft 9 years of rising done the ranks astatine Microsoft, she wanted to beryllium a stay-at-home ma (not slightest due to the fact that helium wasn't going to be slowing down anytime soon). She was good alert they were highly fortunate to not request her income, so she seized the opportunity, knowing however overmuch it had meant to her having her ma astir erstwhile she was increasing up.

Daughter Jennifer was calved successful April 1996, followed by lad Rory in May 1999 and girl Phoebe in September 2002.

Melinda said on What's Her Story that she and Bill besides discussed their views on family close away. "We perfectly discussed fig of children," she said. "It was imperative to maine that whoever was going to beryllium my spouse successful beingness wanted to person children and would beryllium committed to it."

Still, she wasn't wholly definite conscionable however involved of a dad Bill would extremity up being. And neither was he. 

"I utilized to deliberation I wouldn't beryllium each that funny successful the babe until she was 2 oregon truthful and could talk," Bill told TIME when Jennifer was astir 7 months old. "But I'm wholly into it now. She's conscionable started to accidental 'ba-ba' and person a personality."

Still, contempt the resources astatine her disposal, it was important to Melinda that the household tasks beryllium divided arsenic equitably arsenic was feasible betwixt her and Bill. In her book, Melinda admitted to being pleasantly amazed erstwhile her hubby offered to instrumentality connected immoderate of the driving erstwhile Jennifer started kindergarten astatine a schoolhouse that was at least 30 minutes distant from their house. 

"It'll springiness maine clip to speech with Jen," helium told his wife. So helium made the thrust doubly a week, to the schoolhouse and past backmost past the location toward Microsoft, which was successful the other direction.

"About 3 weeks in," Melinda wrote, "on my days, I started noticing a batch of dads dropping kids disconnected successful the classroom. So I went up to 1 of the moms and said, 'Hey, what's up? There are a batch of dads here.' She said, 'When we saw Bill driving, we went location and said to our husbands, 'Bill Gates is driving his kid to school; you can, too.'"

Right up until the extremity of their marriage, who-does-what-and-when remained a blistery taxable successful the Gates house.

Asked what was the past happening she and Bill argued about, Melinda told podcast hosts Samantha Ettus and Amy Nelson, "Oh, gosh...probably time. Who is going to walk clip connected what? That seems to beryllium our commodity that we don't person capable of."

The school commute communicative became a go-to anecdote, but adjacent that was a uncommon peek down the curtain for Melinda, who for the duration of her idiosyncratic and nonrecreational concern with Bill preferred to support the spotlight connected their foundation's accomplishments.

Other than a bombshell revelation successful the March 2009 contented of Vogue that, portion the first household of Windows didn't bargain their kids iPhones oregon iPods, sometimes she looked astatine her friends and said, "Ooh, I wouldn't caput having that iPhone," Melinda purposely stayed a precise backstage person—keeping the absorption on life acquisition and not her beingness erstwhile she's connected the speaking circuit, penning articles oregon sitting down for interviews.

Melinda told CBS News' Gayle King in March 2022 that it was "not 1 thing, it was galore things" that led to their divorce. But Bill having "meetings with Jeffrey Epstein" did fuss her.

"I besides met Jeffrey Epstein precisely 1 time," Melinda added. "Yes, due to the fact that I wanted to spot who this antheral was. And I regretted it from the 2nd I stepped successful the door. He was abhorrent. He was evil personified. I had nightmares astir it afterwards. So you know, my bosom breaks for these young women due to the fact that that's however I felt, and present I'm an older woman. My god, I consciousness unspeakable for those young women. It's awful."

His admitted matter with a Microsoft staffer was different thing, Melinda explaining to Gayle that determination "came a constituent successful clip wherever determination was capable determination that I realized it conscionable wasn't healthy, and I couldn't spot what we had."

And contempt the nonchalance Bill evinced decades agone erstwhile speaking of his enduring relationship with Ann Winblad, a root told People successful May 2021 that their enslaved took its toll connected his relationship with Melinda.

And still, his signature was connected the January 2013 newsletter, though it was sent out along with a supplementary nonfiction by Melinda.

At the aforesaid time, Bill was historically contented to illustration his ain people arsenic helium saw fit. He stepped down arsenic CEO of Microsoft successful 2000, becoming chief bundle designer and staying connected as chairman of the committee of directors. In 2008 helium moved into a part-time role, wanting to absorption astir of his energies connected the foundation. He remained president of the board until 2014.

He near the committee wholly successful March of 2020—a planned exit, his rep said, but the Wall Street Journal reported that astatine the clip of his departure the committee was besides successful the mediate of an probe into a past narration Bill had with a Microsoft employee.

"Microsoft received a interest successful the second fractional of 2019 that Bill Gates sought to initiate an intimate narration with a institution worker successful the twelvemonth 2000," a Microsoft spokesperson said successful a connection to E! News astatine the time. "A committee of the Board reviewed the concern, aided by an extracurricular instrumentality firm, to behaviour a thorough investigation. Throughout the investigation, Microsoft provided extended enactment to the worker who raised the concern."

People acquainted with the substance told the WSJ that the Microsoft cofounder resigned from the committee earlier the probe was complete. 

Bill's spokeswoman told the publication, "There was an matter astir 20 years agone which ended amicably." Moreover, his "decision to modulation disconnected the committee was successful nary mode related to this matter. In fact, helium had expressed an involvement successful spending much clip connected his philanthropy starting respective years earlier."

He besides expressed zero regrets astir the "great marriage" helium shared astatine 1 point with his ex-wife, saying he'd "marry Melinda each implicit again."

Last twelvemonth Bill went nationalist with woman Paula Hurd, the widow of Oracle CEO Mark Hurd, who died successful October 2019. But helium and Melinda are everlastingly joined beyond the foundation, becoming grandparents successful March 2023 erstwhile girl Jennifer welcomed her archetypal kid with husband Nayel Nassar, and reuniting for a household meal to observe Phoebe's 21st birthday that September. Melinda and Phoebe besides deed a fewer events together, including the Michael Kors amusement astatine New York Fashion Week and the Clooney-hosted Albie Awards.

Jennifer, who graduated from aesculapian schoolhouse successful May, shared successful June that she and Nayel are expecting babe No. 2.

Talking to Gayle King connected CBS Mornings in 2022, Melinda acknowledged the "painful stuff" divorces are made of.

"At the extremity of the day, though," she added, "I started connected this travel of healing, and I consciousness similar I'm starting to get to the different side. And I bash consciousness similar I'm turning a leafage successful the section now...I'm really truly excited astir what's to travel and beingness up for me."

And there's thing incorrect with appreciating what was. Read connected for much celebrated couples who divided up aft galore years of marriage: