On June 1, media mogul Rupert Murdoch officially married for the fifth time, tying the knot with Elena Zhukova (67), a biologist. The wedding took place in an intimate ceremony at Murdoch’s estate in Bel Air, Los Angeles, California, attended by close family and friends.
Murdoch, known for his transformative impact on the global media landscape, built a multi-billion dollar empire over decades. He currently serves as the honorary chairman of two media giants, Fox Corporation and News Corporation. Murdoch’s media career began in his native Australia, where he inherited a newspaper from his father and rapidly expanded his influence. Over the years, he acquired high-profile media outlets worldwide, including The Times and The Sun in the UK and The Wall Street Journal in the US. After stepping down as CEO in November 2023, he passed the leadership to his son Lachlan Murdoch (52), continuing the family’s media legacy.
Murdoch’s personal life has been as high-profile as his career. Before meeting Elena Zhukova, he had four previous marriages. His first marriage was to Patricia Booker, a former flight attendant. He later married Anna Torv, a journalist, with whom he has three children. His third marriage was to Wendi Deng, a businesswoman 38 years his junior, with whom he has two daughters. In 2016, he married Jerry Hall, a former model, before they divorced in 2022. Murdoch has a total of six children across his previous marriages.
Before their relationship, Elena Zhukova had also been married twice and has a daughter, Dasha Zhukova (42), a successful businesswoman known for her work in the art and fashion industries. Dasha was previously married to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and is now married to Stavros Niarchos III. Notably, Wendi Deng, Murdoch’s third wife, is close friends with Dasha Zhukova and played a role in introducing Murdoch to Elena Zhukova, leading to their relationship and eventual marriage.
With a current net worth estimated at $19.9 billion, Murdoch remains one of the wealthiest media moguls in the world, with a legacy that spans newspapers, television, and digital platforms across continents.
