MELINDA Gates spoke out for the first time about her divorce from tech billionaire Bill Gates in an interview on Thursday, and specifically talked about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Melinda sat down with CBS' Gayle King for a bombshell tell-all interview that aired on Thursday morning at 7am ET.
In May 2021, Bill and Melinda announced they were ending their marriage after 27 years.
Microsoft board members are said to have carried out an investigation into the billionaire’s romantic relationship with a Microsoft engineer in late 2019 after she claimed in a letter she had a sexual relationship with Gates for years.
In the interview, Melinda talked about Bill's infidelity and about other topics, including what it was like to meet Epstein.
"I also met Jeffrey Epstein exactly one time," she explained. "I wanted to see who this man was and I regretted it from the second I stepped in the door."
"He was abhorrent, evil personified," Melinda said. "I had nightmares about it afterwards."
Read our Melinda Gates interview live blog for the latest news and updates…
- Josie Rhodes Cook
'I believe in forgiveness'
Melinda Gates was asked during the interview about an affair from 2000 with a Microsoft employee.
"I believe in forgiveness," she said.
"I thought we had worked through some of that."
"I gave every single piece of myself to this marriage," she added.
"I was committed from the day we got engaged to the day I got out of it."
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Melinda Gates: 'Epstein' was 'evil personified'
"I did not like that he had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein," Melinda Gates said of her husband's friendship with Epstein.
"I made that clear to him. I also met Jeffrey Epstein exactly one time. I wanted to see who this man was and I regretted it from the second I stepped in the door."
"He was abhorrent, evil personified," she said.
"I had nightmares about it afterwards. That's why my heart breaks for these young women. That's how I felt, and I am an older woman."
"He was awful."
- Jennifer Korn
Interview set
One of the cameramen for the interview shared photos of the set.
The CBS interview aired at 7am this morning.
- Jennifer Korn
Turning the page
"I feel like I'm turning a page in the chapter now," she continued.
Melinda went on to say that it is 2022, "and I'm actually really excited about what's to come, and life ahead for me."
- Jennifer Korn
Melinda's journey of healing
"At the end of the day though, I started on this journey of healing, and I feel like I'm starting to get on the other side," she shared with Gayle King.
- Jennifer Korn
'Painful stuff'
"You're grieving a loss of something you thought you had and thought you had for your lifetime," Melinda continued.
"I mean, this is painful stuff."
- Jennifer Korn
Melinda was angry
Bill Gates' estranged wife revealed there were some days when she was angry.
"That's part of the grieving process," she said.
- Jennifer Korn
Melinda shares her struggle with divorce
Melinda said there were "days where I'm literally laying on the floor, and the carpet … thinking, 'How can this be? How can I get up? How am I gonna move forward?'"
- Jennifer Korn
Melinda responds
"Well, I think it's really important to say, look, I had a lot of tears for many days." she said.
- Jennifer Korn
Gayle asks Melinda if she was 'angry'
"Did you have moments where you were just so angry?" Gayle asked.
"Did you have moments that you were just in such pain? Because people look at you, Melinda French Gates, and say, 'she has it all.'"
- Jennifer Korn
'It just wasn't healthy'
"There just came a point in time where there was enough there that I realized it just wasn't healthy," Melinda continued.
"And I couldn't trust what we had."
- Jennifer Korn
Nothing specific happened
"It wasn't one moment or one specific thing that happened," Melinda explained, in regard to what led up to the divorce.
- Jennifer Korn
Melinda addresses affair
Gayle King asked Melinda how she handled hearing that her husband, Bill Gates, had an affair.
"Well I certainly believe in forgiveness," Melinda said. She went on to say she believed they had "worked through some of that."
- Jennifer Korn
Melinda Gates' interview airing now
Melinda Gates sat down with CBS' Gayle King for a bombshell tell-all interview, which was slated to air on Thursday morning at 7am ET.
Tune in.
- Jennifer Korn
Other allegations against Bill Gates
It has also been claimed Gates “pursued” several women in his office after he wed now-estranged wife Melinda in 1994, according to a New York Times report.
The paper details two alleged instances where the tech mogul clumsily asked out women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
In one instance, Gates is said to have asked out a female Microsoft employee in 2006, following a presentation, two people familiar with the exchange told the Times.
A few years later, another woman, who worked for the Gates’ philanthropic foundation, told the Times that he had allegedly asked her out during a work trip to New York, saying “I want to see you. Will you have dinner with me?”
- Jennifer Korn
How long did the affair last?
It is not known exactly how long the employee claims the affair lasted.
However, in late 2019 she claimed in a letter she had a sexual relationship with Gates for a number of years.
- Jennifer Korn
Did Bill Gates have an affair?
Board members are said to have carried out an investigation into the billionaire’s romantic relationship with a Microsoft engineer in late 2019 after she claimed in a letter she had a sexual relationship with Gates for a number of years.
The relationship was deemed by the board to be “inappropriate,” people familiar with events told The Wall Street Journal.
- Jennifer Korn
The fifth richest person in the world
Last year, the 65-year-old became the world's second-richest person – with a measly $124billion fortune – as he stepped down from Microsoft's board to focus on their charitable endeavors.
He's currently the fifth richest man in the world given the divorce between his ex-wife Melinda.
Although he's given $50 billion to charity since 1994, Gates is earning money at a faster rate than he's donated it, according to reports.
- Jennifer Korn
What is Bill Gates' net worth?
As of May 2021, Gates' net worth was estimated at roughly more than $130.5billion, according to Forbes.
Forbes highlights:
- Bill Gates co-chairs the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest private charitable foundation.
- In May 2020, the Gates Foundation said it would spend $300 million to fight the coronavirus pandemic, funding treatment, detection and vaccines.
- Gates has sold or given away much of his stake in Microsoft — he owns just over 1% of shares — and invested in a mix of stocks and other assets.
- To date, Gates has donated $35.8 billion worth of Microsoft stock to the Gates Foundation.
Who is Bill Gates?
Bill Gates is the founder of Microsoft.
In 2000, he and his then-wife Melinda Gates worked together to form the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the largest charitable foundations in the world with an endowment of $50billion.
Bill Gates stepped down from the board of Microsoft on March 13, 2020, nearly 45 years after he founded the company with Paul Allen and 20 years after he stepped down as CEO in 2000.
Gates grew up in Seattle, Washington with his two sisters and parents. He started Microsoft with Paul Allen after dropping out of college.
The Gates Foundation, continued
It is hoped that the research into high-yielding dairy cows, chickens that lay better eggs and disease-resistant "super crops" will help farmers across the globe.
The project, which is backed by the Gates Foundation and the UK's Department for International Development, aims to help the poorest agricultural workers across areas like Africa.
- Jennifer Korn
What does the Gates Foundation do?
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (often shortened to simply Gates Foundation) was formed in 2000, with the aim of enhancing healthcare and reducing poverty across the globe.
Gates, a renowned philanthropist, has donated tens of billions to the foundation, and has recently pledged almost £30 million to a project to create"super cows".
- Jennifer Korn
What did Bill Gates say about the divorce?
Bill Gates said the couple decided to "end our marriage" after a "great deal of thought and a lot of work" – two years after the couple marked their 25th wedding anniversary and his wife admitted marital life was "really hard."
He noted that they had raised "three incredible children" and worked to help people all over the world.
"We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives," Gates wrote.
- Jennifer Korn
Will Bill Gates give his fortune to his children?
Bill has been more forthright in the past about how he plans to leave his children slightly smaller pieces of his fortune, in contrast to what he’s worth.
When asked about rumors that he would only leave Jennifer, Rory, and Phoebe $10million each during a Reddit AMA session in 2013, Gates explained that it was for their benefit.
"I definitely think leaving kids massive amounts of money is not a favor to them," he said.
- Jennifer Korn
Do Bill and Melinda Gates have children?
Bill and Melinda Gates are parents to three children: Phoebe, Rory, and Jennifer Gates.
Jennifer, 25, is reportedly an equestrian and is a medical student in her second year.
She took to Instagram in April 2020 to talk about her school progress, writing: “First year of medical school.
“While the last couple months were a bit different than expected, I’m so grateful to have met such an amazing group of colleagues, and to have learned from incredible physicians and professors this academic year.
Her siblings, Rory and Phoebe keep out of the public eye and not much is known about their personal lives.
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