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Melinda French Gates is thriving after her divorce from Microsoft (MSFT-1.48%) founder Bill Gates but said separating from her longtime husband was one of the hardest things she’s done.
In an interview with Elle, French Gates, 60, spoke about her new life as a single woman and independent philanthropist in anticipation of her memoir, “The Next Day,” which comes out in April.
“Look, divorces are painful, and it’s not something I would wish on any family,” she said.
French Gates announced her divorce in May 2021. The news came after reports revealed her husband had an affair with a Microsoft employee and had spent time with Jeffrey Epstein after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution with a minor.
French Gates has previously discussed the difficulties of her divorce, saying she was “grieving” the dissolution of her decades-long marriage. And in a recent interview, Bill Gates said his divorce from French Gates is “mistake I most regret.”
But French Gates appears to be in a much better place. “I knew when I got divorced, I would be okay on my own. And I think that was the most important thing,” the philanthropist reportedly worth $30 billion said.
Last year, French Gates resigned from her post as co-chair of the Gates Foundation, the organization she co-founded with her ex-husband. She announced she should be committing $12.5 billion to her work “on behalf of women and families.”
She told Elle she is passionate about the work she does — work that puts her in sharp contrast to how billionaires like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have been spending their money.
“I think it’s really important to not see billionaires as a monolith,” she said. “And not all of them need to stand on a stage to talk about or to demonstrate what they’re doing.”
In five years, French Gates said she hopes people look at her and think: “She’s thriving on the other side of a divorce. Just thriving.”