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It turns out that Bill Gates’ marriage had been in trouble for longer than we thought. The billionaire founder of Microsoft split from wife Melinda French Gates earlier this month, shocking many spectators as it had been thought that they had been happy during their 27 years of marriage.
Though as it turns out, the couple had been having trouble for at least two decades. And Melinda Gates had been aware of her husband’s problems, a source confirmed to People.
The New York Times has reported that Bill Gates has been involved in numerous instances of sexual misconduct over the years. These include a sexual harassment claim against Gates’ “longtime money manager,” Michael Larson, as well as Gates himself pursuing women who worked for him.
Bill Gates even had an extramarital affair over 20 years ago, an incident that Melinda Gates was reportedly aware of.
“There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably,” Bridgitt Arnold, a spokeswoman for Gates, told the New York Times. “Gates’s decision to transition off the board was in no way related to this matter.”
However, the claims against Bill Gates get worse.
The Microsoft-founder had been friends with Jeffrey Epstein beginning in 2011. Epstein faced accusations of sex trafficking young girls and aiding rich and powerful men in abusing minors.
When Bill Gates and Epstein first met, the latter had already been known to sexually abuse young girls, as he had pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor three years prior.
The friendship between Bill Gates and Epstein was made public in October 2019, which was the same time that Melinda Gates first filed for divorce. News of the divorce was made public this month
However, according to Bill Gates’ spokesperson, the divorce is not related to any claims of sexual misconduct.
“It is extremely disappointing that there have been so many untruths published about the cause, the circumstances and the timeline of Bill Gates’s divorce,” Arnold told The New York Times.
“Your characterization of his meetings with Epstein and others about philanthropy is inaccurate, including who participated. Similarly, any claim that Gates spoke of his marriage or Melinda in a disparaging manner is false. The claim of mistreatment of employees is also false. The rumors and speculation surrounding Gates’s divorce are becoming increasingly absurd, and it’s unfortunate that people who have little to no knowledge of the situation are being characterized as ‘sources.’”
People reports that Melinda Gates was not in the dark on her husband’s indiscretions. A source told the magazine, “Melinda was aware there were some issues, but it's unclear if she knew about all of it.”
The magazine also reported that the divorce did not come as a surprise to those who know the Gates family personally.
According to a source, "[Bill Gates] could have treated Melinda better. He's not a saint, but there isn't one thing that created the final split. It goes deeper than that.
"It's many years of differing views of the world, the foundation, and of life in general, and those things piling up. They are older and each personally looked at life and asked, 'Is there more out there than what I have?'”
