Phoebe Gates, 20, took haters to task after they used social media to criticize her interracial relationship with her college boyfriend, Robert Ross. When asked by The Information what was the worst part of being a social media influencer, the youngest daughter of Bill Gates and his ex-wife Melinda responded, “The misconceptions and conspiracy theories about my family and my relationship with my boyfriend.” She then slammed those who flooded her social media with hate filled messages after she confirmed the relationship last summer with some affectionate snaps. “It’s 2023,” she told the outlet, via Business Insider. “I’m done being memed for being in an interracial relationship.”
Phoebe, who commands a strong Instagram following of nearly 200,000, is proving to be outspoken in a variety of contexts. In June of 2022, she took to the platform to blast the impending overturn of Roe V. Wade with an alluring bikini photo and a powerful message.
“I’m not shy about my body and/or telling you to keep your bans off of it,” she captioned the white string bikini pic overlaid with the words “My body, my choice.” “Every person deserves access to sexual and reproductive health care. Right now, the Supreme Court is prepared to end the constitutional right to abortion. Join me and millions of other women in our fight for this basic human right. @PlannedParenthood #BansOffOurBodies.”
Evidently, Phoebe’s famous dad is proud of her. The tech entrepreneur took to his own social media in September of 2022 to wish her a happy birthday with a heartfelt message and a carousel of throwback pics “One of the greatest joys of my life is watching my kids grow into amazing adults,” he captioned the tender September 14 post. “Happy Birthday, @phoebegates. I’m so proud of you.”
In any case, she acknowledges the role her famous name plays in her success as a social media influencer. “I’m pretty realistic that people start following me because of my family name,” she admitted. However, she knows she also has something of value to share. “But once they follow me, they stick around, and I think some of that is because of the issues that I post about, like women’s health,” she added.