JAKARTA - A few days ago social media was abuzz with news of billionaires Bill Gates and Melinda's divorce. However, one insider source revealed that Melinda actually wants a divorce since 2019.
Reporting by the Wall Street Journal, Melinda has been meeting with divorce lawyers and having conversations since 2019, before finally filing for divorce from Gates.
pic.twitter.com/padmHSgWGc
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 3, 2021
It is understood the two have been married for 27 years and announced on May 3 that their union would end. The decision also shook the philanthropic and tech community.
"After a lot of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we've made the decision to end our marriage," Bill and Melinda said on Twitter at the same time.
The source also said Melinda worked with lawyers at many firms to repair a marriage that had actually been broken and irreparable.
Neither Gates nor Melinda have revealed what caused the split. But reports came in that Melinda was so upset with her ex-husband's friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Melinda also admits that Gates' friendship with Epstein still haunts her. Epstein's past harassment of an underage girl in 2008.
Gates and Melinda met Epstein in New York City at his Upper East Side mansion in September 2013. After the meeting, Melinda tells her friends about her discomfort during the meeting.
Several people close to the couple reportedly said she was "angry" over her husband's relationship with Epstein. The New York Times reported that Bill's meeting with Epstein in October 2019 had led Melinda to call her housekeeper several times.
"Over the last 27 years, we have raised three wonderful children and built a foundation that works around the world to enable everyone to live healthy and productive lives," Gates and Melinda said.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)