Billionaire Heartbreak: Inside Rupert Murdoch's History Of Costly Divorces

Rupert Murdoch has never stopped believing in marriage. Even though he lost a fortune from his four divorces, the media mogul still tried again... and again. But he has learned lessons along the way. Murdoch's first divorce came in 1967, when he was in his mid-30s and not yet a business magnate. It's unclear how much his first wife, Patricia Booker, got in the divorce, but it was likely a modest amount — by billionaire standards, at least. But normal divorces ended there for him. Murdoch's second — and most expensive — divorce cost him billions.

It was during his marriage to Anna Torv, between 1967 and 1999, that Murdoch consolidated his media empire and acquired billionaire status. When they parted ways, Torv walked away with an eye-popping $1.7 billion. However, she certainly didn't see those billions in her bank account. She received about $100 million in cash and various multi-million-dollar properties. But the bulk of Torv's crazy figure revolved around the family trust, which Torv prioritized to protect the future of her and Murdoch's children, as it ensured the kids would inherit his company.

Shortly after, Murdoch married Wendi Deng, divorcing her in 2013. This time, he had an ironclad prenup agreement. While the amount they settled for is unknown, it was likely a lot less than Torv got. But divorcing a billionaire means walking away with a pretty penny regardless. Lastly, Murdoch divorced his fourth wife, Jerry Hall, in 2022, a situation that unfolded in similar terms as his previous one. Hall reportedly settled for about £250 million, which isn't peanuts, but likely didn't hurt Murdoch's pocket too much, either.

Proving he's nowhere near ready to give up on love, Rupert Murdoch married for a fifth time at the ripe age of 93 in June 2024. His bride, retired Russian molecular biologist Elena Zhukova, was 67 when they tied the knot, making her 26 years his junior. Unsurprisingly for someone his age, Murdoch has suffered a series of health setbacks in recent years, including hospitalizations for pneumonia, a broken back, seizures, and other ailments. It isn't outrageous to presume Murdoch might die before his wife — if they don't divorce first, that is.

In either scenario, the situation should follow a similar pattern as his third and fourth divorces. While it is unknown whether he and Zhukova have signed a prenuptial agreement, it is highly likely they have. At this point, he has surely learned his lesson. As divorce lawyer Raoul Felder succinctly put it to Bloomberg after Murdoch's 2013 divorce from Wendi Deng, "If he doesn't have a prenup, he would have to see a psychiatrist and not a lawyer." In any way, Zhukova is likely to get a hefty sum.

All of this aside, Murdoch has every intention of being around for some time. "Our companies are in robust health, as am I. Our opportunities far exceed our commercial challenges. We have every reason to be optimistic about our coming years. I certainly am and plan to be here to participate in them," he wrote in a letter read aloud on "America's Newsroom" in September 2024 after he settled the family dispute that established his eldest son, Lachlan, as his sole successor (via People).