Latest news with #powercouple
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Hollywood agog over new memoir by Diane von Furstenberg's billionaire mogul husband in which he reveals he's been sleeping with countless men during their 50-year relationship... while she once bedded Warren Beatty and Ryan O'Neal in a single weekend
Billionaire movie mogul Barry Diller first met the 'deliriously glamorous' fashion queen Diane von Furstenberg at a super smart Manhattan dinner party in 1974. On that occasion the haughty Belgian creator of the iconic 1970s wrap dress snubbed the gauche movie man – as did her then husband, German playboy Prince Egon von Furstenberg, who immediately told Diller his trousers were too short. But when Barry and Diane met again months later, it was a very different story. The pair clicked and were soon in the grip of a torrid passion that spawned one of America's most formidable power couples. 'There was a glow around us that was setting off sparks . . . I was functioning without a brain, not a thought in my head, being willed on by pure primitive urges,' gushes the hard-nosed Hollywood executive in a highly revealing new autobiography. Diller, who was at that time the 32-year-old head of TV and film studio Paramount Pictures, and his 27-year-old lover were inseparable for most of the next 50 years, eventually marrying in 2001. But their relationship was unorthodox in the extreme. She was one of the world's most sexually voracious women, described by friends as the 'ultimate flirt' and even by Diller as unable 'to sit down without being louche'. She enjoyed a series of flings with other men, including an affair with the actor Richard Gere, which began in 1981 and led to a split with Diller that lasted a decade. Not that Diller was a choirboy himself. The big revelation in his new book, Who Knew, is that he is gay and enjoyed regular dalliances with men. Hardly surprising, then, that when the now 83-year-old told his wife, 78, that he planned to publish a tell-all memoir, she had just three words of warning: 'Just get ready'. Diller, estimated to be worth £3.4billion, was for decades one of the most formidable men in Hollywood, earning the nickname 'Killer Diller' for his ability to reduce even the most hardened executives to tears. But, despite his reputation, he avoided the limelight. And there was good reason for that, as he has now confirmed: he was terrified of being publicly outed at a time when being openly gay was still not accepted in Tinseltown. Diller has claimed to be taken aback by the excited media reaction to the revelation of his sexuality in his memoir published on Tuesday, since it was an open secret among Hollywood insiders. But even they assumed that his union with von Furstenberg had to be purely a marriage of convenience, a strictly platonic union. As the artist Andy Warhol once observed: 'I guess the reason Diller and Diane are a couple is because she gives him straightness and he gives her powerfulness.' But in Who Knew, Diller insists that nothing could have been further from the truth, describing their relationship as 'an explosion of passion that kept up for years'. He relates how they could barely keep their hands off each other after they met for the second time at a soirée a year after she first ignored him that night in 1974. 'While there have been a good many men in my life, there has only ever been one woman,' Diller says, adding: 'Yes, I also liked guys, but that was not a conflict with my love for Diane . . . I have never questioned my sexuality's basic authority over my life (I was only afraid of the reaction of others).' Within 24 hours of their second meeting, they were on von Furstenberg's sofa at her palatial Manhattan apartment 'wound around each other, making out like teenagers, something I hadn't done with a female since I was 16'. She promptly ditched another boyfriend (her relationship with the German prince was a marriage of convenience to conceal the fact he was bisexual) and they reconvened at Diller's LA mansion. In what he describes as an 'explosion of pent-up demand', Diller recalls them leaving friends by the pool to have sex in a guest house. Readers will have to decide whether these tales of unbridled passion are Diller's attempt to reassure his wife their marriage hasn't been a total sham. While he may not be a household name, in Tinseltown Barry Diller was a man to be reckoned with. At Paramount he was responsible for giving the green light to such classic films as The Godfather Part II, Saturday Night Fever, Grease and Raiders Of The Lost Ark. He later set up the Fox TV network with Rupert Murdoch and brought us The Simpsons, whose vicious, bullet-headed boss, Mr Burns, was reportedly inspired by Diller. He reveals in his book how he was once seated next to Princess Margaret at a Hollywood dinner shortly after the release of Saturday Night Fever in 1977. The late Queen's sister said she'd like to invite its star, John Travolta, for tea at her hotel. Diller duly arranged a meeting only for the actor to complain to him afterwards: 'She hit on me!' (Travolta was then 33, Margaret 47.) Diller is still revered as one of the most brilliant operators in Hollywood history and remains chairman of the digital media company IAC, but nowadays prefers to spend time on his 305ft schooner Eos, one of the world's biggest sailing yachts. He and von Furstenberg are often accompanied on trips by their friends Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his soon-to-be-wife Lauren Sanchez. It's clear von Furstenberg, who is proud to be 'sexually fluid' having reportedly slept with men and women by the score, knew about Diller's men. 'Today, he opened to the world,' she said this week. 'To me, he opened 50 years ago. All I can tell you is Barry and I have had an incredible life for 50 years. We have been lovers, friends, married, everything. And, you know, for me, the secret to honour life, and to honour love, is never to lie.' That's fine for her to say now – and Diller echoes her noble sentiments by insisting in the book that he never pretended he was straight – but the couple have spent years evading or ignoring questions about his personal life. A few months after their 2001 marriage, for instance, she made clear to Vanity Fair magazine that rumours their marriage was only platonic were entirely wrong and that 'everything has always been normal' in their relationship. 'We share the same bed,' she said. 'We go on vacation together . . . It's so weird that people can even ask.' By 2013, when she and Diller still retained separate homes in New York, von Furstenberg was sticking to the same script when a New York Times interviewer mentioned to her that there was 'a lot of curiosity' about their marriage. 'I don't understand what is there to understand,' she responded. 'This man has been my lover, my friend and he's now my husband. I've been with him for 35 years. At times we were separated, at times we were only friends, at times we were lovers, at times we're husband and wife, that's our life.' The following year, von Furstenberg published her own memoir – but nowhere in its 240 pages did she address her husband's sexuality. Her past coyness about discussing Barry's bedroom habits was definitely unusual for a sexual adventuress who delights in retelling tales of her conquests and who Vogue once dubbed 'an exotic cat woman seductress'. In a 2024 TV documentary, von Furstenberg boasted of how Mick Jagger and David Bowie once suggested she join them for a threesome: 'I considered it and I thought: 'OK, this is a great thing to tell your grandchildren, then I came back to the room and they were two little skinny things, and I didn't',' she recalled. She also revealed that while once staying at LA's Beverly Wilshire hotel, she slept with both Warren Beatty and Ryan O'Neal on the same weekend. 'How about that? I was very proud,' she said. The mother of two children (by first husband Egon) added: 'If I didn't have kids, I can't even imagine what I would have become, because I would've had no restraint.' (Her daughter Tatiana revealed that von Furstenberg was so remiss as a mother that it wasn't until she went to a doctor at the age of 21 that she discovered she had a serious neuromuscular condition, Brody myopathy, that causes weakness and cramps.) A 2015 biography of von Furstenberg, with which she collaborated, detailed how she continued to play the field in the years before she and Diller finally married. Leaving her two children at home with the nanny, she partied at New York's Studio 54 nightclub, where male couples would have sex in back rooms and drugs were passed around by bare-chested men. While she's denied being a lesbian, she admits her tastes have also run to women, especially a heroin-addicted Italian supermodel named Gia who died of Aids in the 1980s. Von Furstenberg was also a regular at gay bars in Manhattan where she'd go dressed as a man. Why Diller has decided to publicly address his sexuality so late in the day remains unclear and friends are reportedly bemused. (Some expressed similar confusion when he suddenly wed von Furstenberg 24 years ago, although in that case it was assumed to have been for tax reasons.) He suggests it may be because of the immense 'guilt' he still feels that he failed to step forward to try to be a 'role model' for other gay men. After an unhappy and isolated childhood in Beverly Hills, with parents who neglected him and a drug-addicted older brother who bullied him (and was later shot dead in a drug-related incident aged 36), Diller had a nervous breakdown aged 19. It left him with a crippling shyness which never completely left him as he battled his way up the Hollywood ladder. It would also be fascinating to know when and how he broke the news of his preference for men to von Furstenberg and how she reacted. Diller, a man used to getting his way, isn't about to reveal any more than he wants, snapping to a New York Times interviewer last week that he had cut short his promotional book tour as 'I am not up for interrogation about aspects of my personal life'. Indeed, while Diller insists he's now 'too old to care' what people think, he glosses over the nitty gritty of his relationships with men. He writes sketchily of his first sexual encounter with a 'shaggy blond guy' who, from the terrace of a West Hollywood apartment, signalled to a 16-year-old Diller, sitting in his car at traffic lights, to come up to him. He doesn't dwell either on his notorious reputation as a ferocious boss and business adversary whose hair-trigger temper was likely to explode at any time. Staff at Diller's various offices reportedly lived in dread of him descending on them. 'There's no tolerance for errors; Diller is known to shred employees if his tea isn't properly brewed,' reported the Tampa Bay Times in 2002. Diller admitted to the New York Times last week: 'I'm a difficult manager.' Whether he's also been a difficult husband is for his wife to decide.
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
SNL fans go wild as Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost kiss in finale
Saturday Night Live fans went wild after Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost shared an on-screen kiss as they closed out the show's 50th season finale. The actress, who shares a three-year-old son with the SNL star, broke a record as she became the first woman to host the show seven times. In a promo clip for the episode, Scarlett, 40, screamed at the thought of kissing her husband, 42. The sketch, inspired by her upcoming Jurassic Park film, shows the actress running in terror as Colin chased her. But by the end of the episode, he'd caught up with her and secured his kiss after presenting his wife with a big bouquet of roses. Fans were quick to share their thoughts on the romantic moment. 'Omg, I'm in tears, Scarlett Johansson & Colin Jost on SNL,' one person said. 'Power couple energy on full display,' said another. 'They always bring great energy together,' a third person said. 'I hate how I can tell how deep in love they are just by this kiss,' said a fourth. A fifth person said, 'Sweet gesture from Colin—classy way to celebrate Scarlett's SNL spotlight!' 'He's not just a Weekend Update guy, he's the main character in a real-life rom-com,' added sixth.' The promo clip is titled 'Scarlett Johansson Is Saved From Colin Jost By Sarah Sherman,' and begins with SNL stars Heidi Gardner and Mikey Day talking about their summer plans. A thundering pound interrupts their conversation and sets off an alarm and ominous flickering red lights. Scarlett then dashes into the frame and screams, 'Run! Run!', ignoring Day as he welcomes her back onto the show and pushes him out of the way of a door. She runs inside the double door and bolts it shut with a pole, before cowering in terror as the mystery adversary bangs at the door. 'No, please!' she pleads. Suddenly, the moment is interrupted by the arrival of her husband, who cheerfully greets her and places a hand on her shoulder. 'Hey, babe! I had a sketch idea I wanted to pitch you. Maybe it's one where we, I don't know, finally kiss?' he suggests nervously. Scarlett then screams: 'No!' Out of nowhere, her husband is shot in the neck with a dart by Sarah Sherman, who is hiding in the rafters. 'Thanks, Sarah!' Scarlett says, clearly relieved. 'Anytime, Scarlett!' says Sarah, clad in a hunting costume. 'That was just a tranquilizer, right?' Scarlett inquires. 'Oh, I have no idea. Che just handed this to me and said, "Take care of Jost?"' Sarah replies, referencing Colin's Weekend Update co-host Michael Che. Alarmed, Scarlett goes to her husband's side - but is repulsed when he suggests a kiss in a gargled voice. 'Nope!' Scarlett says. Jost also appeared in a pre-recorded, behind-the-scenes bit where Johansson has torrid sex with Bowen Yang after she confesses to Edo Nwodim and Heidi Gardner that she has a crush on him, and learns he has only been publicly pretending to be gay 'for the clout'. Johansson has her heart broken when she learns Yang also has been hooking up with Nwodim, Gardner, and guest star Emily Ratajkowski.
The Sun
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
How Rihanna & A$AP Rocky secretly overcame mighty ego war & years of temper tantrums before his long game plan to win her over worked
A$AP Rocky and Rihanna may be seen as one of Hollywood's power couples - but their journey to true love has seen fireworks and a huge battle of egos. Incredibly, the two superstars overcame heated arguments and a clash of mighty egos before committing to each other, insiders can reveal. 14 14 A Los Angeles source insists that the 37-year-old Barbadian pop maestro and fashion influencer "was the one causing the blow-up and the dramas". But the insider told The Sun: " A$AP has an edge too and an arrogance of thinking he will get his way no matter what. And he snaps, because he does have a short temper. "It caused quite a few rough patches when, although they were just hanging out together, it looked like they may never be friends, let alone anything else." The source claims that Rihanna, 37, openly told acquaintances in the late Noughties that her attitude to dating was: "I am not easy to handle or control and I do what I want to do when I want - and that is how you have to deal with me." The Umbrella and We Found Love hitmaker is believed to have warned suitors like Rocky, "You will never be able to handle me". Things were good for a week and then they'd have a blowout. Much of it centred on ego and being dominant around each other. Harlem-born A$AP, who she says wallows in his "cool, tough, no-nonsense street raised guy-style", always countered his future baby mama with lines like: 'You can't handle me anyway." Rihanna and A$AP had been partying and hanging out on and off since 2016, after meeting on his 2012 video shoot for Fashion Killa - but the relationship did not become serious until three years later. The pop star's previous relationship with rapper Chris Brown was turbulent, ending in 2009 when it was revealed he had assaulted her. And other romances, with the likes of Drake and Saudi businessman Hassan Jameel, were brief while rumoured flings with Lewis Hamilton, Leonardo DiCaprio and footballer Karim Benzema fizzled out. The music executive source said: "They were attracted to one another, but when they started hanging out, there was talk of them blowing very hot and cold. Rihanna arrives to support A$AP Rocky in court as he faces 24 years in prison on gun charges "Things were good for a week and then they'd have a blowout. Much of it centred on ego and being dominant around each other. "Quite a few people close to her felt Rocky was never the right match. He was too much like her - combative, provocative and self-confident that everything had to be done his way. But she has been the same for a while and is very much her own woman. "If he p***ed her off, she would let him have it. People forget she grew up with her dad, who battled drug addictions and has little time for games." She previously told Rolling Stone how dad Ronald, would beat her mother, and in 2013, quietly paid for him to go through a rehab programme. The source added: "At one point in 2018, they [Rihanna and Rocky] stopped talking after some argument about something small and everyone thought the whole thing was done. But Rocky refused to give up and came back for more." 14 14 14 14 Smiling, the executive laughed: 'Maybe a key to their attraction is that very few people in their lives have ever challenged them like or been so competitive." The source noted that Rihanna has a dark determination of 'no f**ker will ever dictate to me what I do". 'No angel' A$AP is said to be 'no angel' either, boasting run-ins with law enforcement around the world after a deeply troubled early life. When he was just 12 his dad was jailed. Just a year later his brother Ricky, who had inspired him to rap, was shot dead in Harlem. Living in shelters and temporary housing he managed to start a fledgling rap career - but in 2006 he served a two week jail term in notorious Rikers Island prison. In 2012, he reportedly served three days of community service for a reported guilty plea to attempted grand larceny after a street fight with photographers in New York City. A year later, US reports alleged police were examining potential charges after claims he slapped a fan at the Made in America Festival. The case was dismissed after a state witness failed to appear. US media outlet TMZ claimed the alleged victim settled a civil suit against A$AP privately in 2015. In July 2019, A$AP spent three weeks behind bars for gross assault with two friends following a street brawl with Mustafa Jafari, 19, in Sweden. Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, avoided further jail time as the court ordered a suspended sentence as the crime was not "of such a serious nature" as to warrant more time behind bars. It was like a switch went off and they both realised what life could be without one another. The LA music executive claims that the Swedish criminal case 'scared the s***' out of both A$AP and Rihanna. He says: "It was like a switch went off and they both realised what life could be without one another." A fashion source also revealed how Rihanna was the driving force behind her vision of family and the perfect work and life balance. They told The Sun: "Rihanna told Rocky that she had a vision for how parenting came first and profession second. "He supported her all the way, and obviously it's paid off, because she's put pop on the back burner and focused on her lifestyle brand, and that has flourished as well. He still tells friends publicly, "I always felt she would end up with me." They added: "A$AP and Rhianna have done their best to forge a life away from cameras where they privately raise their children and have a small intense inner circle of close friends who've allowed them to build a support network and have an upbringing in the way that they would wish to have an upbringing." Court battle In 2021, that harmony was shattered when A$AP was accused of firing a gun at Terell Ephron in West Hollywood. The Los Angeles District Attorney pushed forward with two charges which, if found guilty, would have meant a 24-year sentence behind bars. While that pressure, stress, and fear of separation would drive most couples apart, that challenge brought them closer together. The fashion insider admitted that RiRi's "commitment to Rocky remained unwavering, but "at times they were rocked to their core." "The very uncertain nature of knowing how criminal trials and juries can go in LA made them hit real lows, fearing their family would be torn apart while languishing helplessly in jail. They say: "Even in their darkest moments, they stuck by one another, determined that no matter what, their family would remain intact and their relationship would survive. "Indeed, the bond and commitment showed that their truth was much greater than many of these superficial Hollywood romances, which are centred on two stars, connecting for the sake of gaining greater exposure, success and wealth. "RiRi and Rocky were anxious about the process, but had no doubt that they would survive even in the possibility of him being incarcerated. 14 14 14 A$AP was found not guilty on two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm by a jury in February. A$AP's criminal defense attorney Joe Tacopina confirmed that RiRi and A$AP were rocked by the case. He says: "Those two are special to me. "We have been very close for three plus years. I can't tell you how many times I have had to convince them and re-assurance that it was going to be okay. "Rihanna and I have had calls where she's asked 'is my family going to be okay?' "I said, 'Yes we are going to be okay here.'" Tacopina was so convinced A$AP deserved to walk free that he rejected the DA's six-month plea deal to instead fight a trial. Tacopina confirmed to his clients that "it was the right thing to do. There was reasonable doubt." After the verdict, Rihanna expressed her relief to Tacopina: "She gave me one of the strongest hugs I've ever had in my life." Tacopina confirmed that the celebrity pair's relationship burned brighter amid the controversy. "She obviously loves him. They are a great couple. I have known Rock for a long time, Ri for a long time, and seeing them together at a time like this and a time of need is something very special.' He added to Fox TV that Rihanna was there for her partner "in full force". Baby bombshell The pair dazzled at this year's Met Gala after revealing just hours before that they were expecting their third child - with Ri debuting her baby bump on the red carpet. A$AP Rocky told Associated Press: "It feels amazing, you know. "It's time that we show the people what we was cooking up, and I'm glad everybody's happy for us, 'cause we definitely happy, you know'." They are already parents to sons RZA, 2, and Riot, 1, but the singer recently revealed she wanted more children and was hoping for a baby girl. She told Entertainment Tonight: 'I wanna have a girl. I wouldn't know what to do 'cause I only know about boys so far. It will be a new adventure! '[It's] The best, I live for it. It's never a dull moment," she said of being a boy mom. "I love when they climb off the chandeliers. I love when they literally are so scary that I'm forced to have fun. Me running around, me lifting them up, it's all fun." RiRi and A$AP have certainly settled into family life with their growing brood, but many fans will be wondering if the mum will make a career comeback with three young kids. For now though, the pop star and her prince charming are happy to live in baby bliss. 14 14
