Bill Gates and philanthropist Melinda French announced their divorce one year ago today, following 27 years of marriage and three children together.
"We have made the choice to end our marriage after much contemplation and hard work on our relationship," the pair announced at the time in a joint statement. "In the previous 27 years, we've raised three great children and established a foundation that works around the world to ensure that everyone can enjoy a healthy, productive life."In a new interview with The New York Times, Bill Gates reminisced on this time last year and the preceding 12 months of change, addressing his divorce from Melinda Gates and emphasizing that marriages are "difficult," but he considers his previous partnership to be a "wonderful marriage."
"We've known each other since we were children." Yes, Microsoft was a huge deal when I got married. "But I was a young 38-year-old, and she was a mature 28-year-old, and over the following several years, in terms of what we learned together, what went well, what didn't go well… that's more than half of my adult life," Gates told The New York Times. "Together, we accomplished a lot."
Bill Gates and Melinda French have announced their separation.
Despite this, the Microsoft founder claims he would not have done things any differently.
"Every marriage will go through a change as the kids leave the house. "Unfortunately, mine went through a divorce," he admitted simply. "I wouldn't have done anything differently." I wouldn't pick anyone else to marry… Yes. I'm referring to whether or not I'd marry Melinda again."
He said the couple "spent some time coming up with a reasonable settlement," adding that regardless of the outcome, the couple's main concern was altruistic endeavors, not monetary advantages.
Concerning the settlement, he stated, "It was about the reasons."
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is currently governed by the two of them, which they have done gracefully in the year after their divorce, including co-hosting annual meetings and pushing their philanthropic initiatives forward.
"We have a… extremely significant, intricate, tight relationship," Gates stated. "I consider myself fortunate to have the opportunity to collaborate with her."
Melinda French Gates Becomes Emotional Over Bill Gates' 'Painful' Divorce
This isn't the first time Gates has discussed his divorce in public, but it is the most upbeat.
In an August 2021 interview with Anderson Cooper, the billionaire expressed his sadness over his divorce, calling it a "source of great personal sadness," before sharing more of his feelings in a months-later end-of-year letter about empty nesting and adjusting to what he called "the most unusual and difficult year."
"No matter what," Gates remarked, "adapting to change is never simple." "In this difficult period, I've been impressed by how resilient my loved ones — particularly my children — have been."
In terms of their current relationship, Gates described his ex-wife as a friend, despite the fact that "[Melinda] opted not to use that word in an interview."
French's sit-down interview with Gayle King in March, in which she stated that she was hesitant to utter the F-word while discussing her current relationship with her ex-husband, is the interview in question.
In regards to the breakup, French stated, "It wasn't a single moment or one specific event that happened." "It simply got to the point where I knew it wasn't healthy, and I couldn't trust what we had."
Bill Gates is estimated to be worth $125 billion on Bloomberg's Billionaires Index. According to the same information, Melinda French's net worth is $11.1 billion.
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