Bill And Melinda Gates' Divorce Was The Most Expensive In Celebrity History
Highlights
- Bill Gates and Melinda Gates' divorce settlement became the biggest in celebrity history.
- The Gates' divorce had significant financial implications, as they were married for 27 years and did not have a prenuptial agreement.
- As a result of the divorce, Melinda Gates' net worth is currently perceived to be around $10.6 billion.
When celebrities get divorced, the media loves to report on every juicy detail they can learn. For example, if a celebrity divorce leads to health issues and when Ariana Grande's ex-husband's life completely changed, the press couldn't get enough.
On top of personal drama like that, readers love learning things like how much money Eminem's ex-wife got from their divorce. While that is interesting, the truly fascinating it pales in comparison to how much money was involved in Bill and Melinda Gates' divorce settlement.
Bill Gates And Melinda Gates' Divorce Settlement Broke Records
When Forbes published an article about how Bill Gates became extremely rich, they revealed how long he was the richest man in the world. "Forbes first listed Gates as a billionaire in 1987; he was the richest person in the world, according to Forbes, from 1995 through 2017 (except in 2008 and from 2010 through 2013)."
As a result of how wealthy Gates became, it was a huge deal when he and his longtime wife got divorced. In fact, the Gates' divorce settlement became the biggest in celebrity history.
During Gates' climb to becoming the richest man in the world, he married the woman now known as Melinda Gates in 1994. From there, the couple would go on to build a life together that, for a long time, seemed idyllic.
Who are Bill Gates and Melinda Gates' children, according to People?
Child's Name: | Birthdate: | Age As Of This Writing: |
|---|---|---|
Jennifer Gates | April 26, 1996 | 27 Years Old |
Rory Gates | May 23, 1999 | 23 Years Old |
Phoebe Gates | Sept. 14, 2002 | 21 Years Old |
As Bill Gates and Melinda Gates' fortune continued to grow, the couple purchased several homes. More importantly, the Gates welcomed three children into the world that they shared their lives with.
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Why did Gwyneth Paltrow question her relationship with her husband when his divorce from his first wife was delayed?As Bill Gates and Melinda Gates began to grow old together, they developed a passion for giving back. That led to the couple forming the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a charitable organization the former couple has pumped money into.
Sadly for the world, however, the Gates' efforts to give back suddenly seemed like they were in jeopardy in 2021. That was because Bill Gates and Melinda Gates announced plans to get divorced that year.
Fortunately for the people who benefited from their efforts, Bill Gates and Melinda Gates pledged to keep giving back no matter if they were married or not.
“Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives. We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives. We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life.”
Even though the Gates plan to continue their charitable efforts, their divorce still had gigantic financial implications. There are several reasons why it quickly became clear the Gates' divorce settlement was going to be staggering.
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Chris Rock lost more money from his scandalous divorce than most people make in a lifetime.First off, Bill Gates and Melinda Gates were married for 27 years before they decided to break up. Secondly, over the 27 years of their marriage, Bill Gates accumulated a massive portion of the money he made throughout his life.
Based on those facts alone, Melinda Gates had a great legal argument to split the couple's fortune. More importantly, however, it was reported that the Gates didn't have a prenuptial agreement.
In 2023, Yahoo! Finance published an article about Bill and Melinda Gates' divorce. As that article confirmed, the exact details of the Gates' divorce have never been confirmed. However, it has widely been reported that Melinda Gates received $76 billion from the couple's divorce settlement.
"Details regarding the divorce were never made public, even after it was finalized. Sources reported that Melinda walked away with $76 billion, but it was not confirmed."
What are the most expensive celebrity divorces in history, according to Spin Genie?
Celebrity Couple: | Divorce Settlement: | Adjusted For 2023 Inflation: |
|---|---|---|
Bill Gates & Melinda Gates | $76 Billion | $86.3 Billion |
Jeff Bezos & MacKenzie Scott | $38 Billion | $43.5 Billion |
Alec & Jocelyn Wildenstein | $3.8 Billion | $6.7 Billion |
Kim Kardashian & Kanye West | $2.7 Billion | $3.1 Billion |
Rupert Murdoch & Anna Murdoch Mann | $1.7 Billion | $3 Billion |
Based on an article published by Spin Genie, that makes Bill Gates and Melinda Gates' divorce settlement the most expensive in celebrity history. In fact, Spin Genie reports the second most expensive divorce in history was Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott's settlement, which was for $38 billion.
Bill Gates And Melinda Gates' Current Net Worths
As of the time of this writing, it is widely believed that Melinda Gates received $76 billion in her divorce. However, as of yet, that reporting hasn't been completely confirmed by one of the most reliable sources.
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Heather Locklear And Richie Sambora were married for more than a decade before their relationship went wrong and ended in divorce.Since the details of the Gates' divorce still aren't known for sure, the most credible publications haven't factored that into her current net worth. In a CBS News article about the richest women in the world, they summed up how Melinda Gates' net worth is currently perceived.
As CBS News reported, they can't factor in Melinda Gates' divorce settlement until they "learn more [about the] financial fallout from the Gates' split". For that reason, Forbes reports that Melinda Gates has a $10.6 billion fortune as of this writing.
In Bill Gates' case, the biggest business publications have significantly reduced their estimates of his net worth since his divorce.
Who are the richest men in the world as of December 2023, according to Forbes?
Person: | Rank: | Net Worth: |
|---|---|---|
Elon Musk | #1 | $257.6 Billion |
Bernard Arnault & family | #2 | $203.2 Billion |
Jeff Bezos | #3 | $176.8 Billion |
Larry Ellison | #4 | $135.8 Billion |
Mark Zuckerberg | #5 | $124.7 Billion |
Warren Buffet | #6 | $120.3 Billion |
Bill Gates | #7 | $119.1 Billion |
In 2021, CBS News reported that Bill Gates had a $149 billion fortune. As of the time of this writing, however, Forbes reports that Bill Gates' fortune has been reduced to 119.1 billion.
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