Melinda French Gates on Friendship with 'Lovely' MacKenzie Scott: 'We Talk About All Kinds of Things'

Mar. 15, 2025

Melinda French Gates (left); Mackenzie Scott.Photo:Aurelien Meunier/Getty; David Livingston/GettyWhen it comes to her friendship withMacKenzie Scott,Melinda French Gatessays there’s always plenty to discuss.In a cover story withVanity Fairpublished on Sept. 11, French Gates, 60, opened up about philanthropy, her decision to embrace her political voice and what life has been like sinceleaving the foundationshe co-founded withex-husband Bill Gatesover 20 years ago.Asked whether Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founderJeff Bezosand a fellow philanthropic powerhouse, was somebody she confided in, French Gates said that they “talk about all kinds of things."“Our kids, what we’re doing in life, how we like to spend our time,” French Gates said, naming several topics, before going on to call Scott, 54, a “lovely, lovely person.”Over the summer, while speaking withThe New York Times, French Gates said she had “huge respect” for Scott, who has beengiving billions awaysince her divorcein 2019 — andjust donated $10 millionto a Georgia nonprofit that helps fund local small businesses.“She’s very proud of what she’s doing, and I think she should be,” added Gates, who recently announced her own$1 billion donationto support women’s rights.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.When asked about the possibility of working together in the future — the pair previously joined forces in 2021 togive $40 million to projects focused on promoting gender equality— French Gates left the door open, saying, “let’s just wait and see.““She certainly has had an effect on me in philanthropy, and I hope I’ve had an effect on her,” she added.Since leaving the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (whichwill be changing its name to the Gates Foundation), French Gates has opened up about her approach to giving moving forward.“What I am doing now in full force is making sure that women’s rights are not only on the agenda, but that women are setting the agenda,” French Gates told host Stephen Colberton his late-night show in July. “Women’s right globally and in the United States has been rolled back. The fact that my granddaughter will have fewer rights right now because of the Supreme Court than I had makes zero sense to me.“Speaking withVanity Fair,French Gates said that she hopes to inspire people “who are sitting on great wealth” to give back.“Sometimes you have to just demonstrate to them how easy it is,” she added. “Or help them sometimes find the person that can be in their organization.”

Melinda French Gates (left); Mackenzie Scott.Photo:Aurelien Meunier/Getty; David Livingston/Getty

Aurelien Meunier/Getty; David Livingston/Getty

When it comes to her friendship withMacKenzie Scott,Melinda French Gatessays there’s always plenty to discuss.In a cover story withVanity Fairpublished on Sept. 11, French Gates, 60, opened up about philanthropy, her decision to embrace her political voice and what life has been like sinceleaving the foundationshe co-founded withex-husband Bill Gatesover 20 years ago.Asked whether Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founderJeff Bezosand a fellow philanthropic powerhouse, was somebody she confided in, French Gates said that they “talk about all kinds of things."“Our kids, what we’re doing in life, how we like to spend our time,” French Gates said, naming several topics, before going on to call Scott, 54, a “lovely, lovely person.”Over the summer, while speaking withThe New York Times, French Gates said she had “huge respect” for Scott, who has beengiving billions awaysince her divorcein 2019 — andjust donated $10 millionto a Georgia nonprofit that helps fund local small businesses.“She’s very proud of what she’s doing, and I think she should be,” added Gates, who recently announced her own$1 billion donationto support women’s rights.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.When asked about the possibility of working together in the future — the pair previously joined forces in 2021 togive $40 million to projects focused on promoting gender equality— French Gates left the door open, saying, “let’s just wait and see.““She certainly has had an effect on me in philanthropy, and I hope I’ve had an effect on her,” she added.Since leaving the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (whichwill be changing its name to the Gates Foundation), French Gates has opened up about her approach to giving moving forward.“What I am doing now in full force is making sure that women’s rights are not only on the agenda, but that women are setting the agenda,” French Gates told host Stephen Colberton his late-night show in July. “Women’s right globally and in the United States has been rolled back. The fact that my granddaughter will have fewer rights right now because of the Supreme Court than I had makes zero sense to me.“Speaking withVanity Fair,French Gates said that she hopes to inspire people “who are sitting on great wealth” to give back.“Sometimes you have to just demonstrate to them how easy it is,” she added. “Or help them sometimes find the person that can be in their organization.”

When it comes to her friendship withMacKenzie Scott,Melinda French Gatessays there’s always plenty to discuss.

In a cover story withVanity Fairpublished on Sept. 11, French Gates, 60, opened up about philanthropy, her decision to embrace her political voice and what life has been like sinceleaving the foundationshe co-founded withex-husband Bill Gatesover 20 years ago.

Asked whether Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founderJeff Bezosand a fellow philanthropic powerhouse, was somebody she confided in, French Gates said that they “talk about all kinds of things.”

“Our kids, what we’re doing in life, how we like to spend our time,” French Gates said, naming several topics, before going on to call Scott, 54, a “lovely, lovely person.”

Over the summer, while speaking withThe New York Times, French Gates said she had “huge respect” for Scott, who has beengiving billions awaysince her divorcein 2019 — andjust donated $10 millionto a Georgia nonprofit that helps fund local small businesses.

“She’s very proud of what she’s doing, and I think she should be,” added Gates, who recently announced her own$1 billion donationto support women’s rights.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

When asked about the possibility of working together in the future — the pair previously joined forces in 2021 togive $40 million to projects focused on promoting gender equality— French Gates left the door open, saying, “let’s just wait and see.”

“She certainly has had an effect on me in philanthropy, and I hope I’ve had an effect on her,” she added.

Since leaving the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (whichwill be changing its name to the Gates Foundation), French Gates has opened up about her approach to giving moving forward.

“What I am doing now in full force is making sure that women’s rights are not only on the agenda, but that women are setting the agenda,” French Gates told host Stephen Colberton his late-night show in July. “Women’s right globally and in the United States has been rolled back. The fact that my granddaughter will have fewer rights right now because of the Supreme Court than I had makes zero sense to me.”

Speaking withVanity Fair,French Gates said that she hopes to inspire people “who are sitting on great wealth” to give back.

“Sometimes you have to just demonstrate to them how easy it is,” she added. “Or help them sometimes find the person that can be in their organization.”

source: people.com