Latest news with #BarryDiller
Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Times
The Hollywood mogul, his gay lovers — and his fashion icon wife
B arry Diller sits at one end of an elegant conference room in the headquarters of his media empire, fielding questions about his sex life. 'I've been doing this now for about two weeks,' he says. His voice, a deep baritone, is incredulous. 'From the first hour, the first day, it's, 'Is he gay? Now is he?' ' Diller is 83 and worth $4.6 billion (£3.4 billion), according to Forbes. He was a Hollywood wunderkind who became, at 32, the head of Paramount Pictures. He later ran Twentieth Century Fox and founded, with Rupert Murdoch, the Fox television network. Then he became a mogul in his own right, taking over television networks and engaging in rollicking battles with rivals for control of Hollywood studios. From this conference room, high in his white-glass HQ, you can see the hills and dells of an island on stilts that he built in the Hudson River as a new public park. It changed the shape of Manhattan.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Billionaire Barry Diller - married to Diane von Fürstenberg - comes out in new memoir
MEMOIR Who Knew Barry Diller Simon and Schuster, $59.99 Public figures still sometimes save weighty admissions about their lives for their autobiographies. Barry Diller, the billionaire media mogul and chairman of Expedia, has used his to do just that: come out of the closet. A former CEO of Paramount Pictures, Diller hid his sexual orientation for decades, despite persistent rumours to the contrary. A high-profile marriage to fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg helped quell some speculation but the threat of being outed was still like an 'anvil hanging … over my head'. In Who Knew, the 83-year-old publicly acknowledges his sexuality for the first time. Diller admits that he has long known that he is gay but hid the truth to preserve his career ambitions and avoid public shaming. As for wife von Fürstenberg, she remains a rare romantic outlier and the lasting 'bedrock of my life'. The memoir now reveals this hidden personal history and also shares his business acumen with other aspiring entrepreneurs. Diller was born of privilege but suffered a dysfunctional family life, one where his mother would dispense sleeping tablets and a heroin-addicted brother beat him. The basement of talent agency William Morris was a sanctuary where its cabinets of archived correspondence were a way to 'read … through the history of show business'. Good fortune, as it happens, was often looking out for the eager student of Hollywood's history. First, a lucrative posting at the television network ABC to help program films for the small screen. An enterprising thinker, Diller believed networks should make films for the tube too, soon transforming the station's profile thanks to his successful made-for-TV movies.
The Age
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
Billionaire Barry Diller - married to Diane von Fürstenberg - comes out in new memoir
MEMOIR Who Knew Barry Diller Simon and Schuster, $59.99 Public figures still sometimes save weighty admissions about their lives for their autobiographies. Barry Diller, the billionaire media mogul and chairman of Expedia, has used his to do just that: come out of the closet. A former CEO of Paramount Pictures, Diller hid his sexual orientation for decades, despite persistent rumours to the contrary. A high-profile marriage to fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg helped quell some speculation but the threat of being outed was still like an 'anvil hanging … over my head'. In Who Knew, the 83-year-old publicly acknowledges his sexuality for the first time. Diller admits that he has long known that he is gay but hid the truth to preserve his career ambitions and avoid public shaming. As for wife von Fürstenberg, she remains a rare romantic outlier and the lasting 'bedrock of my life'. The memoir now reveals this hidden personal history and also shares his business acumen with other aspiring entrepreneurs. Diller was born of privilege but suffered a dysfunctional family life, one where his mother would dispense sleeping tablets and a heroin-addicted brother beat him. The basement of talent agency William Morris was a sanctuary where its cabinets of archived correspondence were a way to 'read … through the history of show business'. Good fortune, as it happens, was often looking out for the eager student of Hollywood's history. First, a lucrative posting at the television network ABC to help program films for the small screen. An enterprising thinker, Diller believed networks should make films for the tube too, soon transforming the station's profile thanks to his successful made-for-TV movies.
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
The Hollywood billionaire who smuggled a stray dog from Ireland and cloned her five times
For more than half a century, Barry Diller was one of the most feared men in Hollywood. When he ran 20th Century Fox, he once got so frustrated at an employee, he hurled a video tape at a wall. (The employee put a frame around the hole.) The American billionaire media executive, who has also headed up Paramount, IAC and Expedia, has won contentious lawsuits against competitors and close friends alike. Even his friend Oprah Winfrey said she was afraid to meet Diller the first time they had dinner. But with the publication of his new memoir, Who Knew, the world has learned that the gruff, terse, domineering Diller has a softer side. In the book, the 83-year-old mogul came out as gay, but also writes vividly about his love for his wife, the famed fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg – 'the miracle of my life' – whom he married in 2001, and her children and grandchildren. Diller calls them his family. He, who had distant parents and an abusive, heroin-addicted brother, also has several passages in the book describing how he cried at tough moments, both personal and professional. Nothing, however, makes Diller turn to mush like talking about his beloved late dog, Shannon, and her five cloned 'daughters' (though technically they're closer to replicas). READ MORE 'They're all little Irish girls,' Diller gushes. The billionaire hates talking about himself, but he is happy to talk to The Irish Times about Shannon and her clones – which are objects of fascination in Hollywood. 'How can you even describe what you love?' Diller says about Shannon, his late Jack Russell terrier, when asked to explain why he was so infatuated with her. 'She was a super dog. She was just the loveliest, most adventurous – she was a wondrous little animal.' Barry Diller's dogs Shannon and Evita when they met in 2013 Diller first saw Shannon when he was on holidays in Ireland in 1999. He cannot recall the town's name, but says it was 'south of Shannon, about 30 minutes by helicopter'. After having lunch in a small restaurant, he exited and saw his future pup on the street. She began following him around. He inquired about her owner and was told she belonged to a waitress. But when he saw the dog at another restaurant down the road the following day, he inquired again and was told the nameless puppy had no owner. 'I scooped her up,' says Diller. He was flying out that day. In an instant, the dog went from lonely and homeless in rural Ireland to a cosseted traveller on a private jet with a life most people can only dream of. En route back to the United States, they had a layover in Shannon Airport, and the puppy was nameless no more. He jokes that he told Shannon to hide in the back of the jet until they cleared customs. 'She made it to New York as an undocumented immigrant,' says Diller. They lived together at the von Dillers' Beverly Hills mansion until her death in 2014. It was a canine Cinderella story. Barry Diller with his dog. Photograph: Diane von Furstenburg Instagram The year before she died, some of Shannon's tissue was biopsied and shipped to a biotech company in South Korea. Upon arriving it was injected into an enucleated egg from a canine surrogate donor, thus becoming a cloned embryo, which was then inserted back into the surrogate. Six months later, the first clones were born, and delivered back to Diller in the United States. First came Dina (a play on DNA) and Evita, then Tess in 2016, Luna in 2021 and Bossie and Birdie in 2024. Diller says they all have the 'ethos' of Shannon, and that their personalities are only 'very slightly different'. Diller took Dina back to Ireland to 'explore her roots'. She lived a full life, living between Beverly Hills, their compound in Connecticut, the Carlyle Hotel in New York's Upper East Side, and their Art Deco yacht Eos. But she met an unfortunate end while in Costa Rica, hiking with Diller and von Fürstenberg. She was eaten by a crocodile. 'A country I'll never return to,' says Diller bitterly. Diane Von Furstenberg and Barry Diller arrive on the carpet for the 2023 Met Gala. Photograph: EPA Diller was early to the animal cloning game, even among those who can afford the six-figure-per-clone price tag. Barbra Streisand cloned her Coton de Tulear in 2017, but chose a cheaper cloning service. Celebrities from Simon Cowell to Paris Hilton have publicly mused about doing the same with their own canine companions. Does Diller consider himself a trendsetter? 'We've given endless, endless details to people about our cloning experience, when they ask about it,' he says. It has been said that von Fürstenberg murmurs to friends that she is sure Diller will clone her, too. He writes in his memoir that she is the only woman he has ever loved. Does he plan on creating a carbon-copy wife to match his carbon-copy dogs? 'Of course,' he says, laughing.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
1 Volatile Stock on Our Buy List and 2 to Be Wary Of
A highly volatile stock can deliver big gains - or just as easily wipe out a portfolio if things go south. While some investors embrace risk, mistakes can be costly for those who aren't prepared. Navigating these stocks isn't easy, which is why StockStory helps you find Comfort In Chaos. That said, here is one volatile stock that could reward patient investors and two that could just as easily collapse. Rolling One-Year Beta: 1.30 With access to millions of trucks, RXO (NYSE:RXO) offers full-truckload, less-than-truckload, and last-mile deliveries. Why Are We Out on RXO? 6.2% annual revenue growth over the last two years was slower than its industrials peers Earnings per share fell by 38.8% annually over the last four years while its revenue grew, showing its incremental sales were much less profitable Unfavorable liquidity position could lead to additional equity financing that dilutes shareholders At $16.09 per share, RXO trades at 56.9x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why RXO doesn't pass our bar. Rolling One-Year Beta: 1.52 Originally known as InterActiveCorp and built through Barry Diller's strategic acquisitions since the 1990s, IAC (NASDAQ:IAC) operates a portfolio of category-leading digital businesses including Dotdash Meredith, Angi, and focusing on digital publishing, home services, and caregiving platforms. Why Do We Avoid IAC? Annual sales declines of 1.3% for the past five years show its products and services struggled to connect with the market during this cycle Earnings per share have contracted by 51% annually over the last four years, a headwind for returns as stock prices often echo long-term EPS performance Negative returns on capital show management lost money while trying to expand the business IAC is trading at $36.50 per share, or 29.5x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with IAC, check out our full research report (it's free). Rolling One-Year Beta: 1.51 Founded by Australian co-CEOs Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar in 2002, Atlassian (NASDAQ:TEAM) provides software as a service that makes it easier for large teams of software developers to manage projects, especially in software development. Why Do We Love TEAM? Average billings growth of 14.7% over the last year enhances its liquidity and shows there is steady demand for its products User-friendly software enables clients to ramp up spending quickly, leading to the speedy recovery of customer acquisition costs Impressive free cash flow profitability enables the company to fund new investments or reward investors with share buybacks/dividends Atlassian's stock price of $197.15 implies a valuation ratio of 8.9x forward price-to-sales. Is now the time to initiate a position? See for yourself in our comprehensive research report, it's free. The market surged in 2024 and reached record highs after Donald Trump's presidential victory in November, but questions about new economic policies are adding much uncertainty for 2025. While the crowd speculates what might happen next, we're homing in on the companies that can succeed regardless of the political or macroeconomic environment. Put yourself in the driver's seat and build a durable portfolio by checking out our Top 5 Strong Momentum Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025). Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Kadant (+351% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Find your next big winner with StockStory today.
