Media mogul Rupert Murdoch and former top model and actress Jerry Hall are divorcing after six years of marriage.
The New York Times first reported the news, citing “two people with knowledge of the decision who would only speak anonymously.”
Bryce Thom, a spokesman for Murdoch, would not comment to TheWrap, and representatives for Ms. Hall did not immediately comment.
This fourth divorce for Murdoch is not believed to change his ownership and stake-holding in parent companies of Fox News and the Wall Street Journal. The Murdoch family’s shares in the companies lie in a tightly controlled trust, and Mr. Murdoch splits the voting rights over that trust with his four oldest children — Lachlan, Elisabeth, James and Prudence. But they are structured so that the children can’t outvote Murdoch.
The Times did say that “the split could nonetheless reverberate throughout [Murdoch’s] business empire,” which includes Fox News Channel in the United States, the Sun in Britain and Sky News in Australia. Through his role in these entities, Murdoch has influenced conservative and rightwing opinions.
Murdoch, 91, married Hall, 65, in March of 2016 after three other marriages to Wendi Deng from 1999–2013, Anna Maria Torv from 1967–1999 and Patricia Booker from 1956–1967. Hall had previously been married to Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger, but their union was annulled in 1999.
Around the time of their wedding, Murdoch announced his leave from Twitter.
According to the Times, “aides and people close to the family said [Murdoch] was happily devoting more time to his new wife,” which made room for his children and especially chosen successor Lachlan, to take over operations in his corporate empire.