Bill Gates admits his divorce from Melinda is his greatest mistake, causing him years of unhappiness

Bill Gates said divorcing his wife Melinda is the ‘biggest regret’ of his life in a rare, candid interview. 

During an interview with the Times of London, the 69-year-old billionaire co-founder of Microsoft acknowledged that his divorce from his wife of 27 years in 2021 ranks high on his list of failures.

He expressed deep regret over the divorce, describing it as the mistake he most laments. Despite acknowledging other mistakes, he emphasized that none of them compare to the impact of his marital breakup. Bill Gates disclosed that the divorce was a source of immense unhappiness for both him and his ex-wife, Melinda, lasting for at least two years.

His marriage, he said, had kept ‘grounded’ as he brought his now trillion-dollar company to life. 

The pair are now amicable, but rumors of infidelity plagued Bill in the immediate aftermath of the divorce announcement.

‘I certainly made mistakes, and I take responsibility,’ he said in 2023, without expanding. 

Despite the challenges, Bill Gates mentioned that they still have regular interactions at family functions and gatherings. This is facilitated by their shared responsibility for their three children – Jennifer, 28, Rory, 25, and Phoebe, 22 – as well as their two grandchildren.

‘Melinda and I still see each other – we have three kids and two grandchildren so there are family events. The kids are doing well. They have good values,’ Bill said. 

The pair married in 1994 and separated secretly in May 2020. They announced their split the following year. 

Melinda said time apart during the COVID-19 pandemic gave her clarity on the state of their marriage.

She said it was the ‘healthier choice’ for her to part ways. 

She has since moved on with tech mogul Philip Vaughn. 

Addressing her divorce,  Melinda, 60, said time apart during the COVID-19 pandemic helped give her clarity about the state of her marriage.

‘It gave us the privacy to do what needed to be done in private,’ she said during a June 2024 interview.

The philanthropist and businesswoman, like her ex-husband, admitted it was the ‘healthier choice’ for her family and herself as she claims the divorce was the ‘lowest moment’ in her life.

During a 2022 interview with TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie, Bill divulged his guilt and took responsibility for his action. 

‘I certainly made mistakes, and I take responsibility,’ he said, adding, ‘I don’t think delving into the particulars at this point is constructive, but yes, I caused pain, and I feel terrible about that.’

His ex, who is now reportedly dating tech mogul Philip Vaughn, said that another factor that ultimately led to the end of their marriage was his relationship with Jeffery Epstein – an American serial sex trafficker, pedophile, and financier.

‘I did not like that he had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein, no. I made that clear to him,’ she told American television personality, Gayle King in 2022. 

‘He was abhorrent. He was evil personified,’ Melinda said of the convicted felon. 

Melinda shockingly revealed her relationship with Vaughn in October 2024 as she was seen with the Seattle-based entrepreneur as they went to dinner in New York City.

Despite going through an ‘unbelievably painful’ divorce with Bill, Melinda put tensions aside when it came to Philip, who used to work at her ex’s company.

Meanwhile, Bill has been dating Paula Hurd since 2023. 

Hurd is the widow of former Oracle co-CEO and president Mark Hurd, who died at the age of 62 in 2019 after a reported battle with cancer.

Once a tech executive herself, Hurd is now an event planner and organizer, and philanthropist.