Rupert Murdoch net worth: Fortune and more explored as media mogul set to wed for fifth time

Rupert Murdoch, the renowned media mogul, is reportedly set to tie the knot for a fifth time in June 2024. The business magnate, 92, who recently stepped down as the chairman of News Corp and Fox News, is prepared to marry his 67-year-old girlfriend, Elena Zhukova, a retired scientist.

According to the Washington Post, a source close to Rupert Murdoch claimed that the ceremony is planned to take place on June 1 at the businessman's California vineyard and estate, Moraga. Murdoch, who is among the top 100 billionaires in the world, according to Forbes, has an estimated net worth of $19 billion.

The CBS News reported that Zhukova is Russian-born and has studied at the University of California. In her career as a molecular biologist, Zhukova dedicated a majority of her studies to diabetes.

Murdoch's marriage to Zhukova will be his fifth one, following Patricia Booker, Anna Mann, Wendi Deng, and Jerry Hall.

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Rupert Murdoch: net worth and career explored

Keith Rupert Murdoch was born in Melbourne in 1931 and comes from English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry. His father, Sir Keith Murdoch, was a war correspondent who later became a news magnate, owning two regional newspapers and a radio station. Keith Murdoch also became the chairman of the Herald and Weekly Times publishing company later in life.

Keith Murdoch died when Rupert was 21. Following his death, he paused his education at Oxford to return home and take charge of the family business. Rupert Murdoch had his vision set on acquisition and expansion since the start, acquiring several troubled newspapers in Perth, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and Sydney.

Rupert Murdoch's first expansion move outside Australia was The Dominion of New Zealand. In 1964, he launched Australia's first national daily newspaper – The Australian. Eight years later, he acquired Sydney's morning tabloid, The Daily Telegraph, from Sir Frank Packer. In 1984, Murdoch was appointed Companion of Order of Australia (CA) for his services to the publishing industry.

Rupert entered the British newspaper market in 1968, buying The Sun and turning it into a tabloid format a year later. In 1981, Murdoch acquired Times and Sunday Times, alongside working on the successful expansion of The Sun. Five years later, he introduced electronic production processors to his newspapers in Australia, Britain, and the United States.

By 1985, Rupert Murdoch acquired 20th Century Fox, followed by the launch of FOX News, a 24/7 cable network standing in competition with CNN in 1996. FOX News quickly became Murdoch's most profitable and influential asset, and it has led cable news ratings for decades.

In September 2023, Murdoch stepped down as the chairman of News Corp and Fox Corp, becoming the chair emeritus of both companies in mid-November.

Murdoch has been portrayed in TV, films, and books multiple times. His real-time net worth is estimated to be $9 billion by Forbes. He has a total of six children from his previous marriages.

His eldest child, a daughter – Prudence – was born with his first wife. With his second wife, Anna Mann, Murdoch had three children (two sons and a daughter) – Elisabeth, Lachlan, and James. Murdoch and Wendi, his third wife, have two daughters, Grace and Chloe.

According to Sky News, Rupert Murdoch was first introduced to his now-girlfriend, Elena Zhukova, by his third wife, Wendi Deng.