Rupert Murdoch, 93, ties the knot for the fifth time
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has married again, tying the knot for the fifth time at his California vineyard on Saturday.
Rupert Murdoch marries Elena Zhukova.Credit: News Corp
The former Fox and News Corp chairman, 93, married 67-year-old Elena Zhukova after a short engagement. The pair started dating in 2023 and confirmed their plans to wed to the New York Times in March this year.
Zhukova, a retired molecular biologist, was introduced to Murdoch by his third wife Wendi Deng.
Moscow native Zhukova was previously married to billionaire Alexander Zhukov. This will be her third marriage. Zhukova is the mother of Darrya Zhukova, who was married to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, the former owner of English Premier League soccer team Chelsea.
The wedding took place at Murdoch’s exclusive Bel Air vineyard and estate Moraga. Murdoch purchased the secluded Los Angeles property in 2013.
Loading
Murdoch stepped down from the top job at News Corp late last year, handing the reins to his eldest son Lachlan. He continues to be involved in the media empire as a chairman emeritus.
The wedding comes amid a difficult time for News Corp’s Australian publishing empire, with journalists being informed on Wednesday of a newsroom restructure which is likely to result in more job losses as the company seeks to save up to $65 million.
Murdoch is set to visit Australia in July this year to celebrate the 60th anniversary of News Corp masthead The Australian. It will mark his first trip down under since 2018.
The Murdoch media empires are controlled through a family trust, meaning the marriage to Zhukova is unlikely to impact the future holdings of both media empires. Upon Murdoch’s death, all votes would be transferred to his four eldest children, Prudence, Lachlan, James and Elisabeth.
Murdoch has six children from his first three marriages.
Rupert Murdoch and ex-wife Jerry Hall at their London wedding in 2016.Credit: EPA
It was only in March 2023 that Murdoch was engaged to a different woman, Ann Lesley Smith, before calling off the wedding in April after he reportedly became concerned about Smith’s ultra-conservative and evangelist views.
Murdoch’s fourth marriage to model Jerry Hall ended after six years in 2022.
He married his first wife, flight attendant Patricia Booker, in 1956, with whom he had his eldest child, Prudence. In 1967, he married Daily Mirror reporter Anna Torv, mother to Lachlan, James and Elisabeth. Their marriage was Murdoch’s longest before the pair split in 1998 and later divorced in 1999.
Murdoch married 29-year-old Deng in 1999, less than three weeks after his split from Torv was finalised. Murdoch and Deng had two children together, Chloe and Grace. The pair split in 2013.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
Loading
