Affair Revelations by Billionaire Barry Diller: Gay Lovers Unveiled, Including American Icon's Stepson Unmasked
Rewritten Article:
Tycoon Barry Diller might be taken aback by folks' curiosity about his past lovers, but he's opening up anyway. With his upcoming book launch in May, Diller, the 83-year-old billionaire worth $4.6 billion, is ready to spill some secrets.
His sexuality was an insider secret in Hollywood, but the business titan is confirming it to the broader public. He's shedding light on who some of his past paramours were, admitting that his wife, Diane von Furstenberg, was the only woman he ever truly loved.
According to The New York Times, Diller had romances with Michael Bennett, a renowned Broadway director and choreographer, and one of Johnny Carson's stepson. Maureen Dowd, a columnist, didn't name the stepson, and the book isn't due for another ten days. However, Carson only had one stepson – Joe Holland, who passed away from AIDS in 1994.
Another lover, Michael Bennett, also perished from AIDS in 1987 at the age of 44.
Diller claims he knew he was gay since the age of 11. But his older brother was a drug addict, and he didn't want to burden his parents with two "broken" children.
During his career, Diller's sexuality was almost exposed several times. In 1974, he found out People was planning a "mean and homophobic" piece on him. Although the article ultimately focused on his business acumen, he was relieved at the time.
Twenty years later, while working at QVC and trying to acquire Paramount, rumors about his AIDS diagnosis began circulating. When a Times reporter contacted him to ask about it, he was shocked and reassured the reporter he was fine.
His friend, Michael Eisner, outed him to Disney executives in 1995, stating in an internal board memo that Diller's sexuality shouldn't affect his potential role as CEO of the company. This decision supposedly derailed his chances of getting the job.
Diller and von Furstenberg lived apart throughout their marriage, with him residing at the Carlyle hotel on the Upper East Side, and she above her business in the Meatpacking District.
The first time Diller met the 'deliriously glamorous' von Furstenberg at a sophisticated Manhattan dinner party in 1974, she had rudely dismissed him. When they crossed paths again a year later, she suddenly showed interest in him.
As Diller recalls, he felt like an outsider in her world. 'I was standing alone next to the fireplace, feeling out of place in this group when "Prince" Egon von Furstenberg walked up to me and said, "Your pants are too short,"' he shared.
But when they met again, she was all over him. 'I was instantly bathed in such attention and cozy warmth that I couldn't believe it was the same woman I'd been dismissed by a year earlier,' he recalled. Later, 'We stood at the door, and I said, "I want to call you," and she said, "I want you to."'
Diller is ready to tell his truth after all these years in his upcoming book. 'I wanted to tell the story, and I knew if I told the story, I had to tell the truth,' he told The Times.
Diller acknowledges that most people probably guessed his sexuality long before he came out and joked that he was in a "brightly-lit, glass closet" prior to coming out. He believes that his decision not to come out earlier helped him achieve incredible career success, as his anxiety about being outed made him a decisive and fearless leader.
However, Diller expresses regret for not coming out sooner, wishing he could have served as a role model for gays of his generation who felt ashamed of their sexuality.
- Barry Diller, a columnist might have been surprised by the public's interest in his past relationships, but as a business mogul worth $4.6 billion, he is ready to reveal some secrets in his upcoming book launch in May.
- The upcoming book by Diller will shed light on his relationships with celebrities such as Michael Bennett, a renowned Broadway director and choreographer, and Johnny Carson's stepson, Joe Holland.
- In his book, Diller also discusses his sexuality, confirming that he was an insider secret in Hollywood and admitting that his wife, Diane von Furstenberg, was the only woman he truly loved.
- Diller's book will reveal that his relationship with von Furstenberg, despite some initial coldness, later evolved into a deep, romantic connection.
- Despite the challenges and rumors about his sexuality throughout his career, Diller believes that his decision not to come out earlier helped him become a decisive and fearless leader in the entertainment and business industries.
