Rupert Murdoch and Wendi Deng were together for over a decade, but according to insider sources, their marriage wasn’t all smooth sailing. Initially, things were off to a great start, per New York magazine, because while Anna Torv had wanted Murdoch to slow down, Deng was happy flying around the world with him. She embraced his career-centric lifestyle while also inspiring him to get healthy following his prostate cancer diagnosis in 2000. She made sure he got a personal trainer, watched his diet, and as one friend told New York mag, “He’s in the best physical shape he’s ever been in.” Indeed, Murdoch himself once gushed, “She’s a very loving, supportive wife.” He also said having kids and a young wife kept him young.
All was not as it seemed, however. In 2012, Ying-Shu Hsu, a former full-time Chinese tutor and nanny in the Murdoch household, called the couple’s home a “war zone.” Speaking with Gawker, she accused Deng of swearing, yelling, and mistreating staff, as well as her husband. “She also curses Rupert all the time,” she told the outlet, adding, “She’s always yelling, crying [while] Murdoch is the calm type.” She also claimed they would often sleep in separate beds and reportedly spent Christmas Day 2004 arguing about the estate. Deng wanted their daughters added to the family trust and Murdoch eventually gave them the same economic stake as his other kids but no voting rights, per Deadline. In a statement to Gawker, Murdoch and Deng’s rep denied the claims.