Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old former chairman of Fox and News Corps, is once again preparing to walk down the aisle, as he announces his engagement to his current girlfriend, Elena Zhukova, 67, a retired molecular biologist. This will be Murdoch's fifth marriage and sixth engagement, with reports circulating that the couple will tie the knot in June at the media mogul's California vineyard and estate, Moraga.
According to The New York Times, Murdoch and Zhukova began dating over the summer, and invitations for the wedding have already been sent out. The couple is said to have met through Murdoch's third wife, Wendi Deng, as reported by The Daily Mail.
Murdoch's love life has been a topic of fascination, with his previous engagement to Ann Lesley Smith, a former dental hygienist and evangelical prison chaplain, lasting just a fortnight. In an interview with his own New York Post at the time of that engagement, Murdoch claimed, "I dreaded falling in love - but I knew this would be my last." However, he has now faced those fears twice in less than half the TV broadcast lifespan of his disastrous TalkTV channel, which recently announced its move to online-only.
Zhukova, like Murdoch, is also a divorcee. She was previously married to Alexander Zhukov, a billionaire energy investor who now resides in London as a British citizen. Before coming to the United States, Zhukova was a resident of Moscow, and her career as a molecular biologist led her to study diabetes at institutions such as the University of California in Los Angeles. She has a daughter, Dasha Zhukova, who works as a philanthropist and entrepreneur and was previously married to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
Murdoch's family is a bit larger, with six children from three of his four wives. The Murdochs even inspired the storyline of the fictional Roy family on the HBO hit series "Succession." His eldest son, Lachlan Murdoch, followed in his father's footsteps and became the new chairman of Fox Corp and News Corp after Rupert retired from his duties in September 2023, with Rupert holding an honorary "chairman emeritus" status with the company.
The news of Murdoch's engagement has been met with a mix of congratulations and speculation about his mesmerizing dating secrets. In a satirical take on the announcement, one commentator suggested that Murdoch's lifelong commitment to irreverent stories about people's private lives means he wants his latest chapter to be covered in a similar manner.
The commentator also noted the timing of the engagement, coming just months after Murdoch's previous fiancee, and suggested that if this engagement falls apart, his current rate of acquisition would suggest a next fiancee could pick up Murdoch at an even more desirable vintage of 94, with potential future wives expecting to hit the 100 mark.
The article also delves into Murdoch's relationship with his ex-wife Wendi Deng, who reportedly introduced him to Zhukova. Despite a tumultuous past, including an incident where Deng allegedly pushed Murdoch into a piano during a fight, causing him to fracture vertebrae, the former couple appears to have put their differences behind them.
As Murdoch prepares for his upcoming nuptials, the media and public alike are fascinated by his whirlwind love life and the details surrounding his latest engagement. With his retirement from the day-to-day operations of his media empire, some have even joked that Murdoch should consider writing a dating book for mortals, sharing his increasingly mesmerizing romantic secrets.
Regardless of the speculation and satirical commentary, Rupert Murdoch and Elena Zhukova are set to embark on a new chapter in their lives together, with their June wedding at the Moraga vineyard marking the beginning of Murdoch's fifth marriage and what many hope will be a lasting love match.
