Billionaire Barry Diller is opening up about the “many men” in his love life over the years, despite being married to a woman for over two decades.
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“While there have been a good many men in my life, there has only ever been one woman, and she didn’t come into my life until I was 33 years old,” Diller wrote recently in an essay for New York Magazine.
The businessman is referring to fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, whom he married in 2001.
“I have never questioned my sexuality’s basic authority over my life (I was only afraid of the reaction of others),” he added.
The 83-year-old IAC chairman reflected on his relationship with von Furstenberg, now 78, whom he began dating after they met in 1974. He acknowledged that he never doubted the strength of their connection, rooted in heterosexuality, to be as powerful as his opposing homosexual tendencies had been.
He admitted that when the romantic sparks began to fly, his “initial response was ‘Who knew?’”
Billionaire Barry Diller Described His Relationship with his Wife as “An Explosion of Passion”
The couple had an on-again, off-again relationship for years, separating in 1981 before finally reuniting a decade later in 1991. A decade after rekindling their romance, they married in 2001, though they did not have children together. That said, Diane von Furstenberg has two adult children from her previous marriage to Prince Egon von Furstenberg: Alexander von Furstenberg, 55, and Tatiana von Furstenberg, 54.
The billionaire acknowledged in his essay that he is “well aware” his relationship with the designer has sparked confusion and considerable speculation. He hinted that those closest to him have long been aware of his attraction to men.
“A relationship that began with indifference, then exploded into a romance as natural to us as breathing, surprised us and everyone else. It really is the miracle of my life,” Diller wrote.
“Plain and simple, it was an explosion of passion that kept up for years,” he detailed.
“And, yes, I also liked guys, but that was not a conflict with my love for Diane. I can’t explain it to myself or to the world,” he went on to admit.
Diller also expressed his connection to contemporary perspectives on sexual identities, describing them as“much more fluid and natural, without all those rigidly defined lanes of the last century.”
The couple’s relationship status is unclear after the billionaire’s public admission, but there’s no sign that either has filed for divorce.