Phoebe Gates casually let slip that her father, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, has Asperger’s syndrome.
The 22-year-old Stanford student made the accidental disclosure during a guest appearance on the hit podcast Call Her Daddy, hosted by Alex Cooper.
While discussing what it’s like to bring dates home to one of the world’s most recognizable – and reportedly awkward – dads, Phoebe casually mentioned her father’s medical condition.
‘My dad is pretty socially awkward. He’s said he, you know, has Asperger’s,’ she said casually while on the podcast on Wednesday.
The offhand comment immediately raised eyebrows, as Bill Gates has never publicly confirmed such a diagnosis himself.
Though he has previously acknowledged identifying with traits on the autism spectrum, his daughter’s revelation marked the first time a member of his family directly referenced a specific condition.
‘Bringing a guy home is terrifying for the guy. It’s also kind of hilarious for me,’ Phoebe continued as she went on to describe how her dad once drove her and her boyfriend to a school dance while listening to NPR in silence – a moment she called ‘so uncomfortable but so funny.’
Phoebe Gates (right) casually let slip that her father, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates (left), has Asperger’s syndrome
While discussing what it’s like to bring dates home to one of the world’s most recognizable – and reportedly awkward – dads, Phoebe casually mentioned his shocking medical condition. Pictured: Pheobe Gates appears on Alex Cooper’s hit Call Her Daddy podcast
Listeners were quick to seize on the remark, which soon went viral across social media platforms, sparking debate and curiosity over whether Phoebe had unintentionally outed her father’s private medical history.
‘Not exactly surprising,’ one user wrote on X.
‘There seems to be a lot of self diagnosing going on here. Being high in trait disagreeableness, focused, highly intelligent does not necessarily mean one is “on the spectrum,”‘ another wrote.
The billionaire philanthropist, 69, has not publicly responded to the revelation.
However, in his 2023 memoir Source Code, Gates wrote that if he were growing up today, he likely would be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
In the book, he recounted how he struggled with social interactions as a child and often became hyper focused on specific interests – classic characteristics of Asperger’s, which is now considered part of the broader autism spectrum.
‘I was a hyper-focused kid. I would get so lost in what I was doing, I’d forget to eat,’ Gates wrote. ‘I probably would’ve been diagnosed today, and that’s not a bad thing – it’s part of who I am.’
Gates further opened up about realizing he was different from his peers growing up in a February interview with Axios.
‘I always knew I was different in ways that confused people in terms of my energy level and intensity, and going off and just studying things,’ he said.
‘And it’s a little confusing when you’re a kid, that you’re different, or people react to you in some ways, or your social skills – you’re miscuing on various things.
‘My dad is pretty socially awkward. He’s said he, you know, has Asperger’s,’ Phoebe Gates said casually on the podcast. Pictured: Phoebe Gates arrives to Tiffany’s launch of Blue Book 2025: Sea of Wonder at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on April 25, 2025 in New York City
The billionaire philanthropist, 68, has not publicly responded to his daughter’s bombshell revelation. Pictured: Microsoft founder Bill Gates speaks during the World Economic Forum
‘I definitely think my parents, maybe somewhat unintentionally, because there was no diagnosis, but the way they would explain things to me or push me to socialize was very helpful,’ he continued.
While Phoebe’s comment might have been unintentional, it contributes to a broader cultural shift around neurodiversity and high-functioning autism, particularly in high-achieving individuals.
In recent years, more public figures – including Elon Musk – have openly acknowledged being on the spectrum.
Phoebe Gates has not commented further on the matter, and the Call Her Daddy episode remains available in full.
Also during the 22-year-old’s Call Her Daddy appearance, she spoke about her boyfriend, Arthur Donald, 26, the grandson of ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney.
‘Oh man, it’s so bad. Like, I’m so bad at music. I mean, my family like, we’re so nerdy, so I knew nothing about music. I knew about tech stuff growing up, not music stuff,’ she said.
She recalled a time Donald tried to ‘rizz’ her by taking her to an Elton John concert.
‘And Elton John comes out in like a bedazzled tracksuit. I’m like, ‘Is Elton John gay?’ His entire family starts dying laughing,’ she went on.
Phoebe added that even now, after dating Donald for ‘almost two years,’ his family still joke about the incident.
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