Latest news with #DonovanMichaels
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Billionaire film mogul David Geffen sued by estranged husband Donovan Michaels
David Geffen is being sued by his estranged husband. The 82-year-old film producer is accused of treating Donovan Michaels, 32, like a "living social experiment" during the couple's two-year marriage in a lawsuit filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court. Michaels has accused Geffen of breach of contract and alleges that the record executive kicked him out of their New York while he attended Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos's wedding to Lauren Sanchez in Venice last month and went back on a promise to give him lifelong financial support. The lawsuit alleges that Geffen – who has an estimated net worth of $8.8 billion – used a "toxic mix of seduction, control, promises of love and lavish displays of wealth to entrap" Michaels in a loop of "dependency, submission and humiliation". Patty Glaser, a partner at the law firm representing the film mogul, said: "There was no contract – express, written, oral or implied – that has ever existed. We will be vigorously and righteously defending against this false, pathetic lawsuit." The complaint says that Geffen met Michaels on the dating site in 2016 and paid him $10,000 for sex. The couple married in a private Beverly Hills ceremony in 2023 and the complaint claims that Geffen did not seek a prenuptial agreement. The DreamWorks co-founder filed for divorce in May, citing irreconcilable differences, and the pair had kept details of their separation private until Michaels filed his lawsuit. The dancer – whose real name is David Armstrong – described himself in the lawsuit as a vulnerable young gay black man who had been exploited by a "wealthy, powerful white gay billionaire who believed himself untouchable". Geffen is alleged to have criticised "every aspect of Michaels's appearance" and body hygiene that required him to get "painful" laser and dental treatments. Michaels claims that he was frequently subjected to "back-handed insults and put-downs" about his "past and lack of sophistication". He likened the pair's relationship to the plot of the movie Trading Places and alleges that Geffen treated him like "a living social experiment – a trophy to show off to his wealthy friends, under the guise of benevolence". The lawsuit states: "Geffen told Michaels he loved him, and the two agreed to treat each other as life partners, share all assets equally and that Geffen would support Michaels financially for life. "Michaels gave up his dreams – his modelling career, his independence – to dedicate himself fully to this promise." The suit also alleges that Geffen ordered Michaels to "immediately vacate" the couple's New York home as he partied aboard his $400 million Rising Sun superyacht in the lead-up to the Bezos wedding. It states that Michaels was left homeless as Geffen was "decadently and extravagantly partying and dancing the night away in Venice, Italy with the other 0.0001 per cent of the wealthiest people on the planet". The complaint says: "While Geffen holds himself out to the public as an extraordinarily charitable man whose foundation gives millions and millions of dollars to advocacy and support groups for the homeless and disadvantaged populations, he is simultaneously endeavouring to render Michaels impoverished and homeless."
Daily Mail
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Billionaire David Geffen, 82, lashes out at sex and drugs claims made by husband, 32, in explosive divorce war
Billionaire mogul David Geffen has rubbished his estranged boytoy husband's explosive claims that he's a sex and drug-crazed abuser. Geffen, 82, branded 32 year-old Donovan Michaels' divorce filing allegations 'false and pathetic'. Donovan Michaels, 32, alleges that his billionaire beau Geffen, 82, forced him to take drugs, subjected him to abusive sex and controlled his every move, according to the latest lawsuit in their messy divorce battle. The most jaw-dropping part of the suit alleged that Geffen forced Michaels to have all his body hair lasered off and that he'd once flown into a rage at the sight of an ingrown hair. The pair met in 2016 on a dating website often used by rich people looking for younger partners. Geffen, a movie and music producer worth about $9 billion, allegedly paid Michaels $10,000 for sex on the night they met, according to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The pair would go on to form a relationship and ultimately married in 2023 without a prenup, according to the complaint. Michaels said in the complaint that he was targeted by Geffen because he was a vulnerable, marginalized young gay black man who spent the majority of his life bouncing around in the foster care system before turning to erotic dancing to make ends meet. The lawsuit claims that Geffen commanded Michaels to use drugs like cocaine and molly (MDMA) alongside the entertainment mogul's friends on his 450-foot superyacht, The Rising Sun. The suit also claims that Geffen enjoyed physically dominating his sexual partners and causing them pain, which triggered Michaels' childhood trauma. This allegedly caused him digestive issues, headaches and a desire to isolate himself. David Geffen, 82, has been sued by his husband Donovan Michaels, 32. He claims Geffen forced him to take drugs, subjected him abusive sex and controlled his every move Much of the wrongdoing alleged by Michaels was said to have occurred on Geffen's 450-foot superyacht, the Rising Sun The complaint further alleges that Geffen told Michaels 'where to go, what to wear, what to read, what to watch, and what to say.' The lawsuit even accused the billionaire of making Michaels to undergo painful cosmetic treatments. Geffen is also alleged to have told Michaels he had to be constantly available to him, preventing him from being able to pursue a modeling career, according to the suit. In May of this year, Geffen filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split, according to a petition seen by Daily Mail. Michaels' lawsuit claims that Geffen did this because after years of being 'a prop in Geffen's theater of virtue,' Michaels finally approached his husband and asked to renegotiate the terms of their union. He 'wanted a new beginning wherein he could stand shoulder to shoulder with Geffen as an equal free from power dynamics that existed,' the suit said. Michaels claimed that Geffen rejected this, cut him off financially and immediately demanded a divorce. Michaels is suing Geffen for breach of contract, alleging that he promised to take care of him financially but left him near broke and without a home. 'It was a sick game,' the complaint states. 'Michaels became a prop in Geffen's theater of virtue, paraded around as evidence of Geffen's supposed altruism, while privately used as a sexual commodity.' Michaels is suing Geffen for breach of contract, alleging that he promised to take care of him financially but left him near broke and homeless The complaint also alleges that while Geffen was at the Jeff Bezos–Lauren Sanchez wedding in Venice he ordered Michaels to 'immediately vacate' their New York property, leaving him without a home (Geffen is pictured with Kris Jenner and Corey Gamble in Venice for the wedding) Geffen's attorney Patty Glaser hit back at the allegations, denying them completely. 'There was no contract — express, written, oral, or implied — that has ever existed,' she said in a statement to Daily Mail. 'We will be vigorously and righteously defending against this false, pathetic lawsuit.' The complaint also alleges that while Geffen was at the Jeff Bezos–Lauren Sanchez wedding in Venice in late June, he ordered Michaels to 'immediately vacate' their New York property, leaving him without a home. The suit claims that 'at the very same time, Geffen was decadently and extravagantly partying and dancing the night away in Venice, Italy with the other .0001% of the wealthiest people on the planet.' In one of the divorce documents prepared by Geffen's lawyer, Laura A. Wasser, it states that the pair separated in on February 22, 2025, months before the Bezos wedding. As well as Michael's claims about their final days together, the lawsuit includes a series of astonishing allegations about what went on during their relationship. 'Geffen also found additional ways to satisfy his unquenchable thirst for control over Michaels,' the lawsuit claims. The former model turned go-go dancer claimed in his lawsuit that Geffen 'used Michaels' tragic story not as a reason to offer genuine support, but as a grooming tool – casting himself as savior, "white knight," mentor, and gatekeeper to a better life' 'With backhanded insults and put-downs about Michaels' past and lack of sophistication, Geffen cultivated Michaels' insecurity and self-doubt. He critiqued every aspect of Michaels' appearance and exercised strict control over his body hygiene.' The billionaire record executive is accused in the lawsuit of ordering his ex-lover to 'undergo extensive, painful' treatments to conform to his idea of 'perfection.' 'Geffen required Michaels to undergo extensive, painful laser and dental treatments. Even something as minor as an ingrown hair could provoke Geffen's ire and prompt a barrage of instructions to correct the imperfection,' according to the complaint. Michaels claims he was 'awestruck by Geffen', a 'philanthropist' who 'talked the talk' when the younger man revealed issues 'during his underprivileged upbringing,' during the ill-fated couple's first meeting nine years ago. In his complaint, Michaels said he 'opened up to Geffen', confiding in him 'about the painful realities of his life – his traumatic upbringing in the Michigan foster care system, his lack of a real family, his instability, and his prior run-ins with the law'. He went on that he 'spoke candidly, not to gain sympathy from Geffen, but because he believed he had finally found someone who could understand and maybe even care'. But Michaels claims his then future husband 'weaponized [his] vulnerability to fulfill his own personal fantasies', including the lucrative financial transaction he alleges was made on the first night they met. The former model turned go-go dancer claimed in his lawsuit that Geffen 'used Michaels' tragic story not as a reason to offer genuine support, but as a grooming tool – casting himself as savior, "white knight," mentor, and gatekeeper to a better life'. The younger man claims he became a 'private sexual object and a public prop' that Geffen allegedly used to show off his 'self-proclaimed altruism to impress his powerful network'. 'From that moment forward, Geffen began transporting Michaels across the globe as his paid sex worker,' the complaint continued.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
David Geffen sued by estranged husband
David Geffen is being sued by his estranged husband, Donovan Michaels, for breach of contract. The billionaire and former record executive, who is 82, has allegedly reneged on his promise to provide "lifelong support" to the 32-year-old dancer, who also goes by the name David Armstrong. The news comes amid their ongoing divorce, according to court documents filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court. According to the complaint, reported by People magazine, Michaels is claiming that Geffen is in "breach of express oral contract" and "breach of implied contract" for denying him "full financial support" after the two separated in April this year. "In addition to evicting Michaels, Geffen also cut him off from his status quo financial support," Michaels' lawyers allege in the complaint. In a statement shared with People, Geffen's lawyer Patty Glaser claimed that "there was no contract, express, written, oral, or implied, that has ever existed." "We will be vigorously and righteously defending against this false, pathetic lawsuit," she added. Geffen filed for divorce from Michaels in May after less than two years of marriage. The couple did not sign a prenup before marrying in March 2023. Geffen co-founded Asylum Records in 1971 and co-founded DreamWorks Records in 1996. He is now retired, and Forbes has reported that his net worth is around $8.7 billion (£6.4 billion).
Times
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Billionaire film mogul, 82, ‘treated husband like living experiment'
David Geffen's estranged husband has sued the billionaire film and music mogul for allegedly treating him like a 'living social experiment' during their two-year marriage. Donovan Michaels, 32, filed a lawsuit in the Los Angeles superior court accusing Geffen, 82, of breach of contract. He alleged the media proprietor had kicked him out of their New York home while attending Jeff Bezos's lavish wedding to Lauren Sánchez in Venice last month and reneged on a promise to provide him with lifelong financial support. The suit alleges Geffen used a 'toxic mix of seduction, control, promises of love and lavish displays of wealth to entrap' Michaels in a cycle of 'dependency, submission and humiliation'. Patty Glaser, a partner at the law firm representing Geffen, said: 'There was no contract — express, written, oral or implied — that has ever existed. We will be vigorously and righteously defending against this false, pathetic lawsuit.' According to the complaint, Geffen met Michaels in 2016 on the dating website and paid him $10,000 that night for sex. They were married in a private ceremony in Beverly Hills in March 2023 and Geffen, who has an estimated net worth of $8.8 billion, did not seek a prenuptial agreement, the complaint states. Geffen filed for divorce in May, citing irreconcilable differences. The pair had kept details of their relationship and separation private before Michaels's lawsuit was filed this week. Michaels, whose real name is David Armstrong, described himself in the suit as a vulnerable, marginalised young gay black man who had been systemically exploited by a 'wealthy, powerful white gay billionaire who believed himself untouchable'. The former model and dancer alleged Geffen had known about his troubled past growing up in foster care, but rather than showing empathy had treated him as an 'object of exploitation'. Geffen is said to have critiqued 'every aspect of Michaels's appearance' and body hygiene, and required him to get 'painful' laser and dental treatments. Michaels claimed he was constantly subjected to 'back-handed insults and put-downs' about his 'past and lack of sophistication'. He compared their relationship to the plot of the 1983 film Trading Places, alleging that Geffen began treating him like 'a living social experiment — a trophy to show off to his wealthy friends, under the guise of benevolence'. He claimed to have become a 'prop in Geffen's theatre of virtue, paraded around as evidence of Geffen's supposed altruism, while privately used as a sexual commodity'. 'Geffen told Michaels he loved him, and the two agreed to treat each other as life partners, share all assets equally and that Geffen would support Michaels financially for life,' the lawsuit states. 'Michaels gave up his dreams — his modelling career, his independence — to dedicate himself fully to this promise.' The lawsuit further alleges that while Geffen was celebrating aboard his $400 million superyacht Rising Sun before the Bezos-Sánchez wedding, he ordered Michaels to 'immediately vacate' their New York home and cut off his financial support. Michaels was left homeless at the same time that Geffen was 'decadently and extravagantly partying and dancing the night away in Venice, Italy with the other 0.0001 per cent of the wealthiest people on the planet', the complaint stated. 'While Geffen holds himself out to the public as an extraordinarily charitable man whose foundation gives millions and millions of dollars to advocacy and support groups for the homeless and disadvantaged populations, he is simultaneously endeavouring to render Michaels impoverished and homeless.' Geffen launched his eponymous music label Geffen Records in 1980, and signed top artists including John Lennon, Guns N' Roses, Nirvana and Aerosmith. In 1994, he co-founded the film studio DreamWorks with Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg. It produced the Shrek franchise, Saving Private Ryan and Gladiator. Geffen maintains properties in Beverly Hills, Malibu and New York, and owns one of the most expensive private art collections in the world.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Billionaire David Geffen's Estranged 'Boy Toy' Husband Hits Him With Bombshell Accusations In New Lawsuit
David Geffen's already contentious divorce with his estranged husband, Donovan Michaels, has now taken a dramatic turn with Armstrong filing a lawsuit alleging breach of contract and accusing Geffen of "exploitation." Michaels claims that the billionaire entertainment mogul treated him as a "living social experiment" and plied him with drugs for him to use. It comes after David Geffen filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences between him and Donovan Michaels, following their two-year marriage. David Geffen's Estranged Husband Files Lawsuit Accusing Him Of Exploitation David Geffen's estranged husband, Michaels (AKA David Andrew Armstrong), has filed a lawsuit claiming that the entertainment mogul was "masquerading as a white knight while hiding behind wealth, philanthropy and fame." According to court documents filed on Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Michaels asserts that Geffen treated him like "a living social experiment — a trophy to show off to his wealthy friends, under the guise of benevolence." He claimed that his nine-year relationship with the 82-year-old billionaire, which included a two-year marriage, mirrored the plotline of "Trading Places," with a "young vulnerable black man, orphaned as a toddler" drawn into the web of "an exploiter." The model further noted that they first met on the website a website "where men like Geffen shop for the vulnerable," after which Geffen paid him $10,000 for sex on the first night in 2016. Michaels added that Geffen drew him into a web of alleged exploitation, then dumped him "just as easily as he had acquired him." Donovan Michaels Alleges He Was Used As A 'Sexual Commodity' By The Billionaire Elsewhere in the explosive lawsuit, the 32-year-old model noted that Geffen only saw him as an object to exploit and seemingly weaponized his trauma for his "personal gratification and public image." He says their relationship was a "sick game" where he became a "prop in Geffen's theater of virtue, paraded around as evidence of Geffen's supposed altruism, while privately used as a sexual commodity." While the relationship reportedly evolved, with Geffen promising to treat Michaels as a life partner and share all earnings and assets together, Michaels now claims the promise was a trap, one which he gave up his modeling career to pursue. In the complaints, Michaels also alleged that Geffen plied him with "a variety of illicit drugs," including cocaine and cannabis and that he was expected to use them with the billionaire and his friends, but "Michaels' traumatic past was an emotional ticking time." The Couple Does Not Have A Prenuptial Agreement It comes after Geffen, co-founder of DreamWorks and various record labels, filed for divorce from Michaels in May, citing "irreconcilable differences." According to TMZ, the couple did not have a prenuptial agreement when they got married in 2023, and that has now led to speculation about the financial implications for Geffen, whose net worth is estimated at $8.7 billion. "This reinforced Michaels' belief that the relationship was genuine and enduring," Michaels' complaint said of their lack of a prenup. "What Michaels did not know at the time was that this was nothing more than a transaction to Geffen." David Geffen 'Breached' Their Agreement, Donovan Michaels Claims He said that he gave his body, love, labor, and youth to Geffen for years but "could not take the abuse from Geffen, nor keep up with Geffen's proclivities, and suffered from addiction." Michaels claims that when things got difficult between them as he no longer fit the "carefully curated narrative Geffen had crafted for his social world," the Hollywood executive cut him off. He further noted that Geffen demanded a divorce, and "breached his years-long promises and agreements." Donovan Michaels Is Unlikely To Get Much From Their Divorce Michaels' previous filing suggests he's in line for a substantial portion of Geffen's money. Court documents obtained by TMZ showed that his lawyer, Samantha Spector, checked a box that asks the judge to "Determine rights to community and quasi-community assets and debts." That's significant as Geffen has been retired for 15 years and has no income other than investments, including property sales and dividends from stocks and equities. However, those assets are all separate property. It seems Michaels won't receive much in the way of cash because, under California law, dividends from stocks that are separate property are also considered separate property. The former go-go dancer is demanding spousal support, which Geffen agreed to pay when his lawyer filed the divorce documents. However, Michaels would only be entitled to 1 year of spousal support as California laws stipulate that the receiving partner would only receive such payments for half the duration of their marriage.
