Rupert Murdoch Is Getting Married Again

Rupert Murdoch has been married four times. Now, he’s proposed to the woman who will become his fifth wife: Ann Lesley Smith.

“I was very nervous. I dreaded falling in love — but I knew this would be my last. It better be. I’m happy,” Murdoch told the New York Post.

He and Smith met at Murdoch’s vineyard Moraga in Bel Air, California last September. “She and her husband also owned a vineyard and had been in the wine business. Last year when there was 200 people at my vineyard, I met her and we talked a bit. Two weeks later I called her,” Murdoch says.

They have been together since fall 2022, and Murdoch popped the question on St. Patrick’s Day in New York City with a Asscher-cut diamond solitaire ring.

This will be Murdoch’s fifth marriage, and Smith’s second. Murdoch split from his fourth wife, Jerry Hall, in August 2022.

Smith says, “I’m a widow 14 years. Like Rupert, my husband was a businessman. Worked for local papers, developed radio and TV stations and helped promote Univision. So I speak Rupert’s language. We share the same beliefs. In perspective, it’s not my first rodeo. Getting near 70 means being in the last half. I waited for the right time. Friends are happy for me.”

Smith, 66, is 26 years younger than Murdoch, 92. Per the Post, the couple plans to split time between the UK, California, Montana, and New York. They plan to marry this summer.

Emily Burack (she/her) is the news writer for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.