Bill Gates’ ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, isn’t losing sleep over her ex-husband’s recent public comments about their divorce.
Earlier this year, the Microsoft co-founder recently confessed to The Times of London that their divorce was “miserable” for both of them for “at least two years.”
When asked to rank his failures, Gates didn’t hesitate to place the end of their 27-year marriage at the top. “The divorce belongs at the top of the list,” he stated in Jan. “There are others but none that matter.”
“That was the mistake I most regret,” he added.
Now, months later in her own candid interview with Elle magazine, Melinda was dismissive when asked about Bill Gates calling their split his greatest regret.
“You’ve clearly Googled more than I have,” the billionaire philanthropist responded, while, according to journalist Jessica Bennet, perfunctorily rolling her eyes at the mention of headlines speculating whether the former couple might reconcile.
“Look, divorces are painful, and it’s not something I would wish on any family.”
Melinda also told the reporter that leaving her marriage to Bill was simultaneously one of the hardest and most important things she’s ever done.
The couple’s separation became public in 2021 after reports surfaced about Gates’ questionable behavior, including an extramarital affair with a Microsoft employee.
While Gates dwells on past regrets, French Gates has shifted her focus to issues she considers far more consequential.
“Why do we have Viagra and Cialis and whatever else is out there, and why have we not looked at menopause, something every woman will go through?” she asked, highlighting the disparity in funding for women’s health research.
She’s also passionate about getting women elected to office at all levels and addressing the overturning of Roe v. Wade. French Gates, an Independent who endorsed Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign with reported donations exceeding $13 million, has clearly defined her post-divorce priorities.
Melinda French Gates doesn’t view her divorce as a miscalculation. pic.twitter.com/fNRON25t8B
— E! News (@enews) March 17, 2025
The Daily Mail’s readers weren’t shy about weighing in on Gates’s confession, with many siding firmly with French Gates.
One simply stated, “Eye rolling with you!”
“He screwed up. She’s the big winner!” declared another reader, referencing the reported $12.5 billion French Gates received in the divorce settlement, according to Philanthropy.com.
One reader drew parallels between Gates and another tech billionaire, noting, “Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos – both had first wives who were quality women. They were smart, self-sufficient, emotionally grounded, and good mothers. Both men considered ‘titans’ cheated on them with lesser quality women. Go figure!”
Bezos ended his 25-year marriage to MacKenzie Scott in 2019 amid reports of his affair with TV personality Lauren Sánchez. He and Sánchez are now engaged and allegedly planning a summer 2025 wedding.
Similarly, Bill has reportedly been dating Paula Hurd, widow of former Oracle CEO Mark Hurd, since 2023.
Bill Gates confirms new relationship with his new girlfriend, Paula Hurd after Melinda Gates’ divorce pic.twitter.com/ni91eMFS87
— Naija (@Naija_PR) February 5, 2025
One commenter speculated about Gates’s true regrets, “So he thought he was trading her in for a younger/more compliant/ or whatever model, and then found out the replacement only thought he was cool and worthy when he was married. His only regret is that he’s totally and completely alone, and everyone else is thriving without him.”
Melinda has also moved on and went public with entrepreneur Philip Vaughn in October 2024, suggesting she has indeed advanced from what she describes in her upcoming memoir, “The Next Day,” as a painful but necessary life transition.
“The Next Day,” set to publish in April, will cover various life transitions, including her divorce and her departure from the Gates Foundation after almost 25 years.
Melinda revealed she had panic attacks just thinking about ending the marriage, yet her family proved supportive — including her youngest daughter, Phoebe, who was still a teenager at the time, and her Catholic parents, who’d been married 63 years.
