When Bill Gates married Melinda, there was a condition. He could go on a yearly holiday with his ex.

For years, the world viewed the end of Bill and Melinda Gates' 27-year marriage through the lens of a standard, albeit high-profile, "growing apart".

In 2024, Bill even told the Times of London that the divorce was the "mistake I most regret".

But in February 2026, the narrative shifted from regret to a public reckoning when the US Justice Department released over 3 million pages of files tied to its investigations into Jeffrey Epstein.

The documents include explosive, unverified draft emails written by Epstein in 2013, which allege that Bill Gates contracted a sexually transmitted disease and requested antibiotics to give to Melinda without her knowledge.

While a spokesperson for Bill Gates has dismissed the claims as "absolutely absurd and completely false", noting they merely show Epstein's frustration at being "cut off" by Gates, the damage to the carefully curated Gates legacy is undeniable.

Watch: The new photos in the Epstein files. Post continues below.

"For me, it's personally hard whenever those details come up because it brings back memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage," Melinda said on NPR's Wild Card podcast this week, following the release of the documents.

"Whatever questions remain there... those questions are for even my ex-husband. They need to answer to those things, not me."

She added: "I am so happy to be away from the muck."

In the wake of these revelations, their public image as equal partners is now being viewed through a different lens.

Bill and Melinda met at a work dinner in 1987, shortly after she joined Microsoft as a product manager. At the time, Bill was the CEO and Melinda was several levels below him in the company hierarchy, a disparity she later noted required a significant shift to overcome as they moved toward a partnership.

"I was definitely attracted to his brilliant mind, but beyond that, his curiosity," Melinda told Fortune in 2015.

Their early relationship was described by both as casual, with neither initially demanding much of the other's time.

"She had other boyfriends, and I had Microsoft," Bill said in 2019 Netflix series Inside Bill's Brain.

Melinda agreed, noting that as a new employee in a male-dominated company, she was "still looking around".

Melinda and Bill Gates in 1998. Image: Getty.

After about a year, the pair reached a crossroads.

Bill famously weighed the decision to marry on a whiteboard in his bedroom, listing the "pros and cons" of legal commitment. His primary concern was whether he could dedicate enough time to a wife while remaining at the helm of Microsoft.

Ultimately, the pair married on New Year's Day 1994 in Lanai, Hawaii.

The wedding cost over $1 million USD — the couple bought out an entire 250-room hotel and all local helicopter charters to ensure total privacy from the media.

Between 1996 and 2002, they welcomed three children: Jennifer, Rory, and Phoebe.

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A post shared by Melinda French Gates (@melindafrenchgates)

Throughout their 27-year marriage, the couple worked to project an image of "co-equals."

This effort was often cited as a deliberate strategy to balance their power dynamic, particularly within the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which they launched in 2000.

In a 2019 interview with CNBC, Melinda shared an anecdote about school drop-offs as an example of their shared domestic duties.

When their eldest daughter started at a school 40 minutes away, Bill took over the driving to help manage the household schedule — a move Melinda suggested would set a precedent for other fathers at the school.

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A post shared by Melinda French Gates (@melindafrenchgates)

However, behind this public-facing partnership, arrangements were made to accommodate Bill's past.

It later emerged that Bill's marriage agreement included a yearly long-weekend holiday with his ex-girlfriend, Ann Winblad.

The tradition, which dated back to their 1984 relationship, involved the pair spending time at a cottage in North Carolina to "discuss biotechnology" and the state of the world.

Bill even sought Winblad's "approval" before proposing to Melinda in 1993. Winblad reportedly gave her blessing, citing Melinda's "intellectual stamina" as a good match for the billionaire.

Melinda and Bill Gates in 2018. Image: Getty.

While they spent decades as the world's most prolific philanthropists, the "co-equal" narrative began to fray as Melinda sought to find her own voice.

In their 2018 annual letter, she admitted to feeling a disparity in meetings where people would look to Bill rather than her, a dynamic they reportedly worked to correct behind the scenes.

In May 2021, the couple announced the decision to end their marriage, stating they no longer believed they could "grow together as a couple." While they initially attempted a trial period of co-chairing their foundation, Melinda officially resigned in May 2024, taking $12.5 billion USD to focus on her own philanthropic work for women and families.

In light of the 2026 Epstein document release, these efforts at maintaining a balanced public partnership have been cast in a different light, as Melinda has since distanced herself from what she describes as a "muck".

— with AAP.

This article was originally published in May 2021, and has since been updated with new information.

Feature image: Getty.