Melinda French Gates’s situation is what happens when you decide to divorce a deeply uncharismatic man and you studiously listen to and follow advice from the best lawyers, the best crisis managers and the best private investigators money can buy. At the end of the day, I appreciate the way Melinda played her divorce from Bill Gates – it was messier than I expected, but not messier than it needed to be. She managed to out her ex as a serial sexual harasser and cheater without leaving her fingerprints. She successfully separated herself from Bill’s history with Jeffrey Epstein. She made Bill Gates look like a pig and she made herself look like the long-suffering wife. It worked out perfectly. She spoke to Fortune (the interview is paywalled) about what the past two years have been like and how she feels now that she’s been divorced for a year.
Melinda French Gates explained that divorcing her husband of 27 years, Bill Gates, last year was an incredibly difficult and painful decision to make. But she is thankful that the pandemic afforded her the privacy to do what was best for her and her family.
In a new interview with Fortune, the philanthropist was asked about the split and if she thinks the breakup has “changed the way you view the world or the way the world views you.” Gates replied, “I don’t really think about it, to be honest. Because I know who I am, and I know what I stand for. I had some reasons I just couldn’t stay in that marriage anymore. But the odd thing about COVID is that it gave me the privacy to do what I needed to do. It’s unbelievably painful, in innumerable ways, but I had the privacy to get through it.”
She continued, “I also kept working with the person I was moving away from, and I need to show up and be my best self every single day. So even though I might be crying at 9 a.m. and then have to be on a videoconference at 10 a.m. with the person I’m leaving, I have to show up and be my best. And I learned as a leader that I could do it. It reminded me that the foundation calls me to be my best. We work with unbelievable partners around the world who were also struggling during COVID. I was on a video call with a woman who had lost her father, and a week later she’s on a call with me, right? My main concern, of course, was trying to protect my kids through it. And we got to the other side.”
I’m glad she got out too – reportedly, the final few years of their marriage were pretty awful and she waited until they got all of their kids out of the house and into college. I say “they,” but I think Melinda did most of the parenting. That being said, while the kids took Melinda’s side in the divorce, none of them are estranged from Bill. He still spends time with them and it appears as if they can still operate as a functional family when they need to. “I had some reasons I just couldn’t stay in that marriage anymore” – yeah, Epstein and all of Bill’s affairs and his sexual harassment of subordinates?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- 166853, Bill Gates and wife Melinda attend the Jumping of Monte-Carlo and support daughter Jennifer Gates during the competition. Monaco, Monaco – Saturday June 24, 2017. USA, OZ, NZ, SOUTH AFRICA, JAPAN AND CHINA ONLY Photograph: © CRYSTAL, PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com FEE MUST BE AGREED PRIOR TO USAGE,Image: 533053248, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS, DIRECT SALES ONLY UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE IN CAPTION – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: CRYSTAL, PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- (190213) — KIRKLAND (U.S.), Feb. 13, 2019 () — Photo provided by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation shows that Bill Gates (R) and Melinda Gates pose for a photo after annotating the 2019 annual letter in Kirkland, Washington, the United States, on Jan. 8, 2019. Bill and Melinda Gates released their 2019 annual letter on Feb. 12 and a video speech was exclusively broadcast via . Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said Tuesday that exciting progress against poverty and disease around the world has been made in 2018, and China has been a major contributor to this progress. Bill Gates has called for strengthened investment in innovation in key areas so that related industries can continue to develop without worsening climate change. In their 2019 annual letter, Bill and Melinda Gates shared nine things that have surprised them over the course of their nearly two decades of work together in global health and development. (),Image: 535312804, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS excluding China – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: Xinhua / Avalon
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- Melinda Gates NEWS : G7 Finance – make capitalism fairer – Chantilly – 18/07/2019,Image: 536682700, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Michael Baucher / Panoramic / Avalon
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- Ceremonie d ouverture du Forum Generation egalite au Louvre en presence de Melinda Gates,Image: 618904876, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Jonathan Rebboah / Panoramic / Avalon
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- Emmanuel Macron – president de la Republique Melinda GATES – co presidente de la Fondation Bill et Melinda Gates,Image: 619017979, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: JB Autissier / Panoramic / Avalon
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- Melinda GATES – co presidente de la Fondation Bill et Melinda Gates,Image: 619018089, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: JB Autissier / Panoramic / Avalon
Her best revenge is to just give all of his money away a la MacKenzie Scott lol. That’s what I would do.
It’s *their* money, not his alone.
Yes, Melinda has managed this as well as possible, though I’m sure she’s right that the pandemic “helped” in the sense that the divorce received less attention. I really wonder how Bill will navigate public life going forward. As far as I can tell, his whole brand was down to Melinda & her work. And that Epstein stink doesn’t was off easily.
It’s interesting you mention this. A lot of people managed to get away without consequence except for PA, he lost his titles,etc. There’s something going on in the system especially with people in power. Bill may have lost his wife but he is still a darling in social circles and nobody has filed charges against him.
He looks like he’s morphing into Larry King.
I read on how there were a lot of “Bills” involved with Epstein https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/07/the-epstein-scandal-spirals-a-new-focus-on-clinton
I have no doubt she finally twigged on to what her husband is
In the interview she said “I couldn’t trust what we had”
Really resonated as a reason to end that marriage
I remember listening to Melinda’s story about how she met Bill on Brene Brown’s podcast. It was before the announcement of divorce but must have been while they were close and having problems. I just remember her story sounding like he was stalking her and this is not a nice “cute meet” story. He sounded creepy and like a man of power sweeping in and she sounded uninterested but eventually relented while holding on to her power she had at Microsoft that she earned. Perhaps if i heard the story before she knew who he was it would have been more… I don’t know romantic, sweet, normal. I am glad she is out and on amicable terms.