Bill Gates Reveals Divorce From Wife Melinda

Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda Gates, are calling it quits. On Monday, Bill announced on Twitter that he and his wife decided to end their marriage after 27 years. The pair have three adult children together — Jennifer, Rory, and Phoebe.

In a written statement, posted on both Bill and Melinda’s Twitter accounts, the couple shared that they had come to the conclusion that they should part ways. Their statement began by noting that they have put a lot of thought into this decision and that they have worked hard on their marriage, but they have decided to split. Bill and Melinda continued to reflect on their decades-long marriage and the fact that they have worked closely together, starting organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The message continues, “Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives.”

Their statement continued to note that they will continue working with their foundation as they “continue to share a belief in that mission.” However, when it comes to their marriage, they “no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives.” They added, “We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life.” Both Bill and Melinda posted the message at the same time on Monday afternoon. Additionally, they both disabled the ability to comment on their respective tweets.

Not only do Bill and Melinda run their foundation together, which is the largest private foundation in the world, but they also raised their three children — Jennifer, Rory, and Phoebe. In Netflix’s three-episode series, Inside Bill’s Brain, the couple opened up about their road to marriage, per CNBC. After about a year of dating, Bill reflected that the two were at a crossroads in their relationship, explaining, “You know, we cared a lot for each other and there were only two possibilities: either, we were going to break up or we were going to get married.” Melinda then recalled that she walked in on Bill writing a pros and cons list for marriage on a whiteboard. He explained why he made the list, as he said, “I took the idea of marriage very seriously.”