The Microsoft CEO and his now-ex announced their split in 2021. Bill Gates has cited his divorce from Melinda French Gates as the biggest regret of his life. “That was the mistake I most regret,” he said. Although the Microsoft CEO said he has experienced other failures in his life, his divorce is “at the top of the list,” he noted.
Still, Bill said that he and his ex have stayed on good terms, and “see each other” often. “We have three kids and two grandchildren so there are family events. The kids are doing well. They have good values,” he explained. The couple tied the knot in 1994. Their three children are now adults: Jennifer, 28, Rory, 25, and Phoebe, 22.
She was reportedly disturbed by his collection of photographs of glass eyeballs, supposedly made for injured soldiers, provocatively dressed female figurines on his marble staircase and a wall of signed photographs of famous men. Still, Melinda Gates explained, it “wasn’t one moment or one specific thing that happened. There just came a point in time where there was enough there that I realized it wasn’t healthy and I couldn’t trust what we had.”.
Bill later addressed those comments, telling CBS News he will “always be sorry for the pain that I caused Melinda and our family.”. He added: “I admire Melinda and everything she does to improve the lives of women and girls around the world, and I’m grateful for the work we continue to do together at our foundation.”.
