A picture is worth a thousand words, so Jennifer Gates didn’t have to write much when she announced her pregnancy on Thanksgiving (Nov. 24). “Thankful,” wrote Jennifer, 26, as she showed off her baby bump while standing next to her husband, equestrian millionaire Nayel Nassar. In her Instagram post, Jennifer posed in a deep forest green dress as she cradled her bump, while Nayel, 31, beamed with pride while next to his pregnant wife. Jennifer included a green heart and a baby bottle, possibly indicating their bundle of joy will arrive in March 2023.
“I couldn’t be more excited to meet this little one and watch you two become parents,” commented Jennifer’s mother, Melinda French Gates. Karlie Kloss left a string of “hearts for eyes” emojis, while fashion designer Vera Wang wrote, “WOW. Congratulations to a wonderful couple and your new addition!!!!” “I am overjoyed for you, we need wonderful people to make more wonderful people sending so much love,” added celebrity event planner & designer Marcy Blum. Other fans filled the comments section with messages like “Congratulations” and such.
Jennifer’s pregnancy comes over a year since she and Nayel tied the knot in a ceremony in Salem, New York, in October 2021. The couple exchanged vows in front of 300 guests in a Muslim ceremony (Nayel is an Egyptian-American, born in Chicago and raised in Kuwait.) Jennifer and Nayel began dating in January 2017, and both are accomplished equestrians – and both are alums of Stanford university. He proposed in January 2020, and after a year of COVID, the two finally became husband and wife.
Seven months before Jennifer’s wedding, her parents – Melinda and Bill Gates – announced their divorce after twenty-seven years together. “Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children [Jennifer, Phoebee, and Rory Gates] and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all to lead healthy, productive lives,” their joint statement read. “We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the [Gates] foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in the next phase of our lives.”
“It’s been a challenging year, both collectively with the pandemic and for our families going through transitions,” Jennifer told Vogue in Oct. 2021, ahead of her marriage. “But our love for one another has been a constant. Being able to celebrate our wedding with our closest friends and family was a dream come true.”