More details have come out about the divorce between Bill Gates and his former wife Melinda, showing just how massive the financial settlement really was. Tax filings reviewed later revealed that nearly $8,000,000,000 changed hands as part of the split.
The couple officially began divorce proceedings in 2021 after decades of marriage. As part of the agreement, in 2024, Gates transferred $7.88 billion to Melinda’s charity, the Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation, according to documents reviewed by the New York Times.
The payout alone placed the divorce among the most expensive ever recorded. Gates’s personal fortune took a noticeable hit during the process, even though he remained one of the wealthiest people in the world throughout it.
Altogether, Melinda Gates received a reported $76 billion through the divorce settlement. The sheer size of the transfer quickly made her one of the richest women in the world once everything was finalized.
Much of the money Melinda received has been directed toward her own charitable efforts. The nearly $8 billion donation from her ex-husband was only part of a larger plan to support causes focused on improving the lives of women and helping families in need.
The settlement included a commitment to donate $12.5 billion to these causes over time. A spokesperson for Pivotal Philanthropies later confirmed that Bill’s agreement had been fully carried out, with another $4 billion likely donated in the years that followed.
In the same year the $8 billion payment was made, Melinda announced she was stepping away from the charity she had built alongside her husband. The organization, once known as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, was rebranded as the Gates Foundation.
In a 2024 statement, Melinda explained her decision and said: “This is not a decision I came to lightly.” She went on to express pride in what they had built together and the work the foundation continues to do worldwide.
She also pointed to the importance of the funding at a critical time, saying: “This is a critical moment for women and girls in the U.S., and around the world-and those fighting to protect and advance equality are in urgent need of support.”
After the divorce was finalized, Melinda described the end of their 30-year marriage as painful but necessary. She said the relationship was not healthy and that trust had broken down to the point where it could not continue.
Bill Gates has spoken openly about his regret over the marriage ending. He also expressed disappointment over Melinda leaving the foundation they built into the largest charitable organization in the world, aside from the Catholic Church.
Reflecting on that period, he told the Times: “When we got divorced it was tough and then she made the decision to leave the foundation – I was disappointed that she took the option to go off.”
