Trump Reveals Jensen Huang's Biggest Regret After Nvidia Resignation, and It Wasn't Losing His Job

President Donald Trump has revealed that Jensen Huang was deeply distressed about the impact of his personal scandal on his wife and children, following his resignation as Nvidia's chief executive.

Speaking to broadcaster Stephen A. Smith in an interview released on Thursday, 12 November 2026, Trump said he had spoken with Huang the previous day. Nvidia confirmed Huang's resignation that Thursday, ending his leadership of the artificial intelligence chipmaker he co-founded in 1993.

Trump Recounts a Personal Conversation

'He's going through hell,' Trump said when asked about Huang's departure. The president explained that the former chief executive was especially troubled by the pain caused to his family.

Trump said Huang had contacted him and spoken about what he had done to his wife and children. The account offered an unusually personal glimpse into the fallout from a controversy that has also raised questions about corporate governance and national security.

The president praised Huang as a 'tremendous talent' and suggested he could recover professionally.

Huang Had Already Apologised to His Family

On 8 November, Huang issued a message to Nvidia employees acknowledging that he had been unfaithful to his wife. He apologised to his family and colleagues and said there was no excuse for his actions.

The admission followed reports about an extramarital relationship involving a businesswoman whom US authorities reportedly suspected of links to Chinese intelligence. The suspicion has not been established as fact, and there is no public finding that Huang knowingly assisted an intelligence operation.

Nvidia's board announced an independent investigation that same day. It said it had no reason to believe company secrets or US national security had been compromised, while promising to examine the available information.

Subsequent reporting described other alleged relationships involving Nvidia employees. Those accounts added to scrutiny of Huang's conduct, although the details and any resulting findings remain separate from his public admission.

Nvidia Begins Life Without Its Founder-CEO

Nvidia announced on 12 November that Huang had resigned as president, chief executive and director, effective immediately. Its regulatory filing records that the board accepted his resignation on 11 November.

Chief financial officer Colette Kress was appointed interim chief executive while directors search for a permanent successor. She will retain her finance responsibilities during the search, which will consider candidates from both inside and outside the company. Harvey C. Jones became the company's first board chairman.

The transition ends more than three decades of leadership by Huang, who helped build Nvidia into a central supplier of processors used in artificial intelligence systems.

Trump also said he did not know whether the intelligence allegation had been established. He suggested that the answer would affect how he viewed Huang's departure, rather than asserting that espionage had occurred.

The company now faces the additional challenge of reassuring investors, customers and regulators during a closely watched leadership transition.

For Huang, the professional consequences are now unmistakable. But Trump's account suggests the former Nvidia leader was most concerned about damage closer to home, a distinction that places his family's experience at the centre of the unfolding story.