Melinda And Bill Gates Had A Bigger Age Gap In Their Marriage Than We Thought

Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates were at very different life stages when their romance began in 1987. Melinda had finished her MBA at Duke University that same year. Not only was she just starting out in her professional career, but she was also working for Bill's company, Microsoft. In contrast, Bill had been actively growing his company for 12 years. The year before he met his future wife, Bill's net worth increased exponentially when Microsoft went public.

While Bill and Melinda's 2021 divorce was surprising, the beginning of their relationship wasn't a foregone conclusion, either. Besides the disparities in their professional lives, they had a pretty sizable age gap. Bill was born in October 1955, and Melinda was born in August 1964, creating a nearly nine-year difference in their ages. Bill reportedly felt that since Melinda was more mature than her years, and he was a little less so, that it closed some of the gap.

However, Bill and Melinda had different preferences in the way they approached dating. Bill was a meticulous planner who liked to schedule things way ahead of time. "He said, 'You know, I was thinking maybe we could go out two weeks from (tonight),'" Melinda informed AOL Makers in 2015 (via ABC30). This suggestion was a hard pass for her, and she retorted, "You aren't spontaneous enough for me." Bill charmed her, though, and they created a lifelong bond. "You know, we grew up together," Bill recalled to The Times in 2022.

Once Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates started dating, it was a long haul of six years until they decided to marry. For starters, the relationship wasn't exclusive, and Melinda had a pretty busy social life. "I didn't know that things over time would become serious with Bill," Melinda admitted to Bloomberg Originals. "We'd broken up a few times." After those initial hiccups, Bill and Melinda's marriage had some major high points. The couple had three children, and they started a foundation that has provided billions of dollars to causes all over the world.  

Behind the scenes, the couple went through some major upheavals during the decades, including Bill's affair drama. After Melinda and Bill divorced, the pair moved on to other romantic partnerships. Bill started dating Paula Hurd, and around that same time, Melinda had a brief relationship with Jon Du Pre. By 2024, Melinda had moved on and was dating Philip Vaughn. Like Melinda, Vaughn is also a former Microsoft employee, although they never worked together. Similar to her relationship with Bill, Melinda and Vaughn have an age gap, since Melinda is 13 years older than Vaughn.

However, this number likely makes little difference. Melinda is better off post-divorce, and it shows in her self-confidence.  "I am so comfortable now being myself," Melinda divulged to NPR's "Wild Card." "Even when I first started sort of dating again, I was kind of like, take it or leave it. You either like me or don't."