Billionaire Rupert Murdoch, Jerry Hall finalize divorce but ‘remain good friends’
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch and former model Jerry Hall have swiftly finalized their divorce, which comes six years after they tied the knot.
The erstwhile couple announced the end of their marriage on the same day that Hall requested that her divorce petition be dismissed in Los Angeles Superior Court.
“Jerry and Rupert Murdoch have finalized their divorce. They remain good friends and wish each other the best for the future,” Murdoch’s attorney Robert S. Cohen and Hall’s attorney Judith L. Poller said in a joint statement to The Times.
Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall are reportedly divorcing after six years. They married in 2016.
The NewsCorp. executive chairman, 91, and Hall, 66, married in 2016, and news of their separation went public in June. The “Batman” actor filed for divorce in Los Angeles on July 1 citing “irreconcilable differences” and seeking unspecified spousal support and attorneys’ fees.
On Wednesday, Hall asked the court to dismiss her petition without prejudice — meaning she could refile — though it is unclear if she did so because they agreed to settle the divorce out of court.
The petition said that Hall was “unaware of the full nature and extent of all (Murdoch’s) assets and debts, and will amend this petition when the information has been ascertained,” Reuters reported.
Forbes estimates that Murdoch, whose media empire includes Fox News, the Times of London and the Wall Street Journal, has a net worth of about $19.6 billion.
The marriage — Murdoch’s shortest — coincided with major milestones in the tycoon’s decades-long professional career, including Disney’s eventual $71.3-billion acquisition of Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox empire.
Murdoch served as Fox News’ acting CEO until 2019, following Roger Ailes’ sexual harassment lawsuit and eventual ouster in 2016.
It’s the fourth divorce for Murdoch and the first for Hall, who has four children with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.
Murdoch was previously married to former model and flight attendant Patricia Booker from 1956 to 1967, journalist Anna Maria Torv from 1967 to 1999 and businesswoman Wendi Deng from 1999 to 2013.
Times staff writer Alexandra Del Rosario contributed to this report.
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