Bill Gates says his divorce from Melinda is his biggest regret

Bill Gates recently spoke openly about his divorce from his wife, Melinda GatesHe calls it the mistake he regrets most.

The couple, who had been married for over 27 years, separated in 2021 in a multi-billion dollar divorce.

Since their breakup, Bill Gates and Melinda Gates have remained amicable and have moved on with new partners.

In an interview with The Sunday TimesBill reflected on his 27-year marriage to Melinda Gates and their divorce, calling it “the mistake I regret most in my life.”

While the 69-year-old Microsoft co-founder admitted that he had suffered other setbacks, he stressed that none could compare to the pain of the breakup.

“There are other faults, but this one stands above all,” he said, describing the divorce as a “miserable” experience for both him and Melinda that lasted “at least two years.”

Despite the challenges, the former couple has managed to maintain a warm relationship. Both have now moved on and are seeing other people.

“Melinda and I still see each other – we have three children and two grandchildren, so there are family events,” Bill noted, referring to family events with her three children and two grandchildren. “The children are doing well. They have good values.”

Reflecting on their marriage, Bill credited her with keeping him grounded throughout the founding and growth of his trillion-dollar company.

Bill and Melinda tied the knot in 1994 and have three children together: Jennifer (28), Rory (25) and Phoebe (22). The couple announced their divorce in May 2021, but had been living apart for a year before going public with the news.

In a 2022 interview with USA todayMelinda, now 60, revealed it was a “sad day” for her when she realized she was over her marriage to the billionaire.

While she called the decision to split the “healthier decision” for both of them, Melinda also called it the “lowest moment” in her life.

“I never thought something like this would happen to me,” she said. “It’s certainly not what I was thinking on the day of my wedding, but I realized I had to make a healthier decision and that was just a very, very sad day.”

Bill, in turn, has taken responsibility for his role in the split from Melinda after 27 years of marriage.

In one Interview 2022 With Savannah Guthrie, he admitted to “causing pain” after his then-wife confronted him about reports of an affair with a Microsoft employee.

“I definitely made mistakes and I take responsibility,” he said at the time.

Gates added: “I don’t think it’s constructive to delve into the details at this point, but yes, I have caused pain and I feel terrible about it.”

In an interview with Gayle King in 2022, Melinda also pointed out that Bill’s association with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein was a factor in the breakdown of their marriage.

Accordingly Page SixShe said: “I didn’t like that he had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein. No. I made that clear to him.” Melinda added: “He was vile. He was evil personified.”

Bill has since described his professional relationship with Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, as a “mistake.”

After their separation, Bill and Melinda continued their private lives. In October 2024, Melinda made her relationship with entrepreneur Philip Vaughn public.

The two were seen holding hands as they headed to dinner at Le Bernardin in New York City. Bill, in turn, has been in a relationship with Paula Hurd, the widow of Oracle CEO Mark Hurd, since 2023.

Bill recently shared details of a rare private dinner with President Donald Trump, describing the nearly three-hour meeting as “fascinating” and leaving him “impressed.”

Although Gates had supported Trump’s opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris, in the 2024 election, he was optimistic after their conversation.

“I had the opportunity to have a long and actually quite interesting dinner with him about two weeks ago,” said Bill The Wall Street Journal.

During the wide-ranging discussion, he said they focused heavily on public health, an area central to his philanthropic efforts.

“I felt like he was full of energy and excited to help drive innovation,” noted Bill. “I was honestly impressed by how much interest he showed in the topics I raised.”