Melinda Gates Is Better Off Without Bill And It Shows

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In 2021, tech billionaire Bill Gates and prolific philanthropist Melinda French Gates shockingly announced that they were ending their marriage after 27 years. "After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage," Bill and Melinda wrote in a joint statement at the time, per the BBC, though it seems there's a bit more to the story than that. While it's not clear just how privy Melinda was to some of Bill's allegedly problematic behavior, it's hardly a secret that their marriage was marred by infidelity and distrust. 

"Both partners have to be honest with one another," Melinda opined on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in April 2025, adding, "And if you can't, you can't have intimacy and you can't have trust. And so, in the end, I had to go." For his part, Bill has made it clear that he has no regrets about marrying Melinda. But the philanthropist seems to be better off without her billionaire ex-husband regardless — and it continues to show.

For example, in a January 2025 interview with The Times, Bill called the demise of his marriage to Melinda "the mistake I most regret." However, when Melinda herself was asked about this interview during her own chat with Elle just two months later, she seemed considerably less hung up on the past than the Microsoft co-founder. "You've clearly Googled more than I have," Melinda told the interviewer, reportedly rolling her eyes.

While starting a new relationship post-divorce can certainly be tricky, Bill Gates' ex-wife Melinda French Gates seems to be taking to it like a duck to water. Though she tends to keep the details close to the vest, Melinda has confirmed on multiple occasions that she is thriving in her new romance. The philanthropist acknowledged her relationship status while speaking with People in early April 2025, confirming simply, "I am [dating someone], yes." However, Melinda declined to name her new beau. "I'm just going to leave it there," she reasoned, sweetly adding, "I'm quite happy."

The tech billionaire's former wife expressed a similar sentiment during her aforementioned appearance on "The Late Show" just a couple of weeks later. "I am [dating now]," she coyly informed host Stephen Colbert. "It's been pretty great." Notably, both the People interview and the "Late Show" appearance were meant to promote Melinda's book "The Next Day: Transitions, Change and Moving Forward" — which, as the title suggests, is all about moving on after some major life changes. As one might expect, her divorce from Bill is one particularly relevant topic the memoir covers.

But just who is the new man in Melinda's life? While the Microsoft co-founder's ex hasn't hard-launched her post-divorce relationship at the time of writing, Page Six spotted Melinda going on an apparent date with tech businessman Philip Vaughn as early as October 2024 — so, it's safe to say that she has a type. True to her word, Melinda and Vaughn were all smiles during their outing together.