The 93-year-old billionaire exchanged vows with Elena Zhukova, 67, in a private ceremony at his Californian vineyard estate.
This marriage marks Murdoch’s fifth union and follows closely after his 2022 divorce from former supermodel Jerry Hall. Murdoch’s engagement to Ann Lesley Smith earlier last year ended abruptly after just two weeks.
Murdoch’s relationship with Zhukova, a retired molecular biologist, began shortly after his engagement to Smith was called off. They were first rumoured to be dating last summer and announced their engagement in March this year.
Zhukova is no stranger to high-profile relationships either; she was previously married to Alexander Zhukov, a billionaire energy investor and Russian politician.
She is also the mother of Dasha Zhukova, a noted art collector and former wife of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, who previously owned Premier League Football club, Chelsea.
Australian-born Murdoch, whose media empire includes Fox News, Sky News Australia, the Wall Street Journal, and The Sun, stepped down last year as chairman of both News Corp and Fox Corporation. He handed over the reins to his son Lachlan but remains involved as chairman emeritus.
With a net worth of US$19.9 billion, Murdoch is currently 94th on the Forbes global rich list.
Who is Rupert Murdoch?
- Rupert Murdoch built a media empire that includes cable channel Fox News, The Times of London and The Wall Street Journal. He stepped down as chairman in September 2023.
- Murdoch sold most of Fox’s movie studio, FX, and National Geographic Networks and its stake in Star India to Disney for $71.3 billion in March 2019.
- Murdoch’s son, Lachlan, runs the new Fox, which consists of its broadcast, cable news, business and sports networks.
- Though several of his companies are known for their conservative tilt, he initially urged Mike Bloomberg to run for president against Donald Trump.
- A native of Australia, Murdoch inherited a newspaper at age 22 after his father, a former war correspondent, passed away.
