After billionaire Bill Gates and his wife Melinda dropped a significant bombshell last Monday by announcing in a joint statement that they had decided to end their marriage, the Wall Street Journal revealed new details about the separation case. The information indicated that Melinda had been preparing for the divorce for a long time and had concerns regarding her husband's relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
According to sources familiar with the matter and documents reviewed by the newspaper, Melinda consulted with divorce lawyers since 2019 to file for divorce, stating that their marriage was "irreparably broken." While the couple did not mention the reason for their sudden separation, the Wall Street Journal reported that Melinda had concerns about her husband's dealings with Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 awaiting trial. These concerns date back to 2013, according to insights from a former employee of their charitable foundation.
The former employee clarified that Melinda had expressed to her husband that she was uncomfortable with Epstein after the couple met him together in 2013. He confirmed that Bill and some of the foundation's staff continued their relationship with Epstein despite Melinda's expressed worries.
Bill and Melinda discussed the divorce throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the documents, with conversations concerning the division of wealth. Legal teams from both sides were engaged in private discussions with a mediator to work on the separation. Melinda and her lawyer had several calls in October 2019 when the New York Times reported that Bill had met with Epstein on multiple occasions and had stayed late at Epstein's home in Manhattan.
A spokesperson for Bill Gates mentioned that he met Epstein several times to discuss charitable work and that he "regrets ever meeting with him and realizes it was a mistake in judgment to do so." It is noted that Bill and Melinda announced their separation in a statement published on Bill Gates' Twitter account last Monday: "After a great deal of thought and a lot of hard work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage." They added: "We have raised three wonderful children and built a foundation that works all over the world to empower all people to live healthy and productive lives." The couple has three children, the youngest of whom is 18 years old.
