Media mogul Rupert Murdoch tied the knot with his girlfriend Elena Zhukova, a celebrated Russian-born molecular-biologist, at a star studded event in Bel-Air over the weekend.
Murdoch, 93, and Zhukova, 67, announced their engagement earlier this year in what is the Australian billionaire's fifth time down the aisle.
Murdoch was most recently married to model and actor Jerry Hall. They were wed in 2016 and divorced in 2022.
When Zhukova first moved to the United States she settled in Houston, working at the Baylor College of Medicine, before moving to Los Angelesto take up a position at UCLA.
At the time of her retirement, Zhukova was considered an authority on diabetes and was a professor in molecular biology at the University of California.
The researcher is the ex-wife of Alexander Zhukov, a billionaire energy investor and Russian politician. They divorced in 1984. Their daughter, Dasha, was previously married to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who used to own the Premier League soccer club Chelsea.
Last fall, Murdoch, who is worth $20 billion, stepped down as leader of both Fox News’ parent company and his News Corp media holdings. His son, Lachlan, took his place in a media empire that spans continents and helped to shape modern American politics.
When did Elena Zhukova move to the US?
Rupert Murdoch, 93, with his new wife Elena Zhukova, 67, a retired Russian biologist
Murdoch and Zhukova announced their engagement earlier this year in what is the Australian billionaire's fifth time down the aisle
Zhukova first moved to the United States in 1990, just before the fall of the Soviet Union, to take up a position at Baylor.
Her daughter Dasha told the Financial Timesin 2012 that her mother didn't plan to remain in the US until the collapse of communism and that they had planned to return to Russia.
'My mother is quite a serious person, who is more interested in substance than aesthetics. We always had very serious scientists hanging out at our house,' Dasha told the FT.
In a 2009 interview with The Guardian,Dasha described what it was like moving to the US from Russia. 'It was a culture shock. I had never seen cereal before! We had cottage cheese and pancakes in Russia, not colorful circles that came in cardboard boxes.'
During that interview, Dasha said that she bonded with her mother while watching cartoons on American television. Dasha also adopted her mother's Jewish faith and told the New Yorkerthat her father has very strong Christian beliefs.
She also mentioned that her mother had twins born in 1992, a boy, Yuri, and girl, Katya. It's unclear if she ever married the twin's father, fellow scientist George Gause.
How did Elena Zhukova meet Rupert Murdoch?
Zhukova and Murdoch pictured here in 2023 around the time the couple were first reportedly dating
Zhukova worked first at the Baylor College of Medicine near Houston before moving to teach at UCLA
Zhukova and Murdoch were first rumored to be spending time together in the summer of 2023 having been introduced to each other the Fox News' founder's third wife, Wendi Deng.
Deng is reportedly close friends with Dasha, with the duo mixing in New York City's social circles.
When did Elena Zhukova and Rupert Murdoch get engaged?
Rupert Murdoch's ex-wife Wendi Deng arrives at the home of her former husband for his wedding. Deng is thought to be the person who introduced the pair
Zhukova's daughter, Dasha, pictured with her ex-husband Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich
Murdoch and Zhukova announced their engagement in March 2024. They confirmed at the time that the nuptials would be held in his California vineyard, Moraga.
The media mogul was briefly engaged in 2023 to former San Francisco police chaplain Ann Lesley Smith, though the pair called off the engagement weeks later.
Vanity Fair reported the breakup, citing one source who said Murdoch had grown uncomfortable with Smith's outspoken evangelical views.
His last marriage to former model Jerry Hall ended in divorce after six years.
Who was Elena Zhukova previously married to?
Zhukova met her first husband while they were both college students in Moscow. Alexander formed an energy company when then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev relaxed trading laws in the communist nation.
At some point after his ex-wife and child left for the US, Alexander too left, settling in London.
In 2001, he was arrested an spent six months in an Italian jail, accused of supplying arms to Bosnian militants. He was eventually released without any charges being filed.
Militarism runs in the family as Alexander is a descendant of Marshall Zhukov, the Russian general who helped repel the Nazis at Stalingrad.
Dasha said that her mother was 'very affectionate' during her interview with the FT.
'She was and is very reasonable with me. I always felt like I had independence but enough structure not to fly off the deep end. I always felt that I never wanted to disappoint my parents, so that kept me on track.'
After her divorce from Abramovich, Dasha married shipping heirStavros Niarchos III, Paris Hilton's ex-boyfriend.
