Melinda Talks About Her Divorce And Why She Felt Like She 'Had To' Leave Bill Gates
Melinda was a guest star on the popular late-night talk show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, on Monday, April 14th. She was there to talk about and promote her new memoir, The Next Day, which is her first memoir she's released since her divorce from her ex-husband and the co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates. They officially announced their divorce to the public in 2021.
"I thought it would be, first of all, disingenuous if I didn't write about the transition out of my marriage because people had knew it had happened to me and it happens to to, unfortunately, a lot of families," Melinda told Stephen.
As their conversation progressed, the author and Stephen began discussing her split from Bill and what had led her to the point of wanting to separate from him. She said that she wanted a "trusted relationship" from her 27-year marriage, but wasn't getting what she needed from her ex-husband, and eventually lost trust in him.
"Both partners have to be honest with one another," explained Melinda. "And if you can't, you can't have intimacy and you can't have trust. So in the end, I had to go."
Reportedly, the philanthropist writes about how there was some "betrayal" that had taken place in her former marriage, and that she and Bill had to be secretive about their split for a year before things were finalized. This doesn't come long after other reports and accounts that he had affairs while they were together.
Melinda Reveals She's In A New Relationship That Is 'Pretty Great'
Things weren't bleak regarding Melinda's love life during the new interview, as she spoke up about the current relationship she's in, and how it's going pretty well.
Although she didn't go into too much detail about who she's seeing, some media outlets have spotted her cozying up to Phillip Vaughn, who is the founder and chairman of a Seattle-based craft beer delivery service. Melinda said that she was currently having a "pretty great" experience with her now-partner.
This is exciting news for fans of the women's rights advocate, as it's much different news compared to the more unpleasant details she's given about her painful divorce.
During the late-night interview, the philanthropist also spoke about turning 60 years old and how it has been a "fantastic" and "exciting" moment in her life so far. She also discussed welcoming a new grandchild and described herself as an "engaged grandma."
Her new release, The Next Day: Transitions, Change, And Moving Forward, was published on Tuesday, April 15th, and has been a notable book in literary reviews as she seems to be more candid than ever, letting more fans into her personal life and all the work she's done, but charitably and emotionally since divorcing from one of the most influential men in America.