Rupert Murdoch, the wealthy media tycoon who owns companies like News Corp. and Fox Corporation, has recently announced his engagement to Ann Lesley Smith, a former police chaplain and radio host from San Francisco. Murdoch, who is 92 years old, has been married four times before and revealed his plans to marry for the fifth time in an interview with Cindy Adams, a gossip columnist for the New York Post, which is one of his own publications.
Murdoch and Smith met in September 2022 when Smith visited Murdoch's vineyard, the Moraga Estate, in Bel Air, California. According to Murdoch, he was initially nervous about falling in love again but felt that Smith was the right person for him. He proposed to her on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 2023, and presented her with an Asscher-cut diamond solitaire ring. The couple plans to get married later this year in the late summer.
Smith, who is 66 years old, said that meeting Murdoch was "a gift from God" and that they share the same beliefs and language in media and business. She was previously married to Chester Smith, a country singer and radio and TV executive who passed away in 2008. She continued his broadcasting work by hosting her own radio show on Power Talk 1360. Smith was also previously married to another businessman named John who allegedly abused her physically and emotionally when he drank alcohol. She told the Christian Broadcasting Network that she escaped from him with the help of God and friends.
Murdoch has six children from his previous marriages and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He is one of the most influential media figures in the world with a net worth estimated at $21 billion as of March 2023. He owns several newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal, The Times, The Sun, The Australian, and The New York Post, as well as television networks such as Fox News, Fox Business, Fox Sports, and Sky News. He also owns book publishers such as HarperCollins, film studios such as Twentieth Century Studios, streaming services such as Tubi, and digital platforms such as News Corp Australia Digital Network. Murdoch is known for his conservative political views and support for various politicians, such as Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, and Scott Morrison.
Murdoch's life story has inspired several books, films, TV shows, plays, podcasts, and other media projects.