A Guide to Old Men and Their Much Younger Wives
Two weeks ago the news surfaced that Viacom chief Sumner Redstone and his second wife, Paula Fortunato, were divorcing after five years of marriage. Much was made of Redstone and Fortunato's 39-year age gap and the couple's pre-nup, which will provide Fortunato with a $5 million fortuno for the five years she spent by the not-so-healthy billionaire's side. But she's hardly the only one who has been married to someone who could easily pass for her father or granddad. After the jump, a list of famous New York couples and their equally famous age gaps.
Rupert Murdoch and Wendi Deng
Age difference: 37 years
Nearly four decades Rupert's junior, Wendi started off her relationship with Rupert while he was still married to his second wife and Deng was working for a News Corp. subsidiary. Wendi and Rupert tied the knot in 1999.
Woody Allen & Soon-Yi Previn
Age difference: 34 years
One of the creepiest couplings in history, Woody and Soon-Yi began their affair when he was 56 and romantically involved with her adoptive mom, Mia Farrow.
Billy Joel & Katie Lee Joel
Age difference: 32 years
Following two failed marriages, a 55-year-old Billy Joel met 23-year-old "restaurant critic" Katie Lee while she was vacationing in New York in 2004.
Geraldo Rivera & Erica Levy
Age difference: 32 years
Not only is Erica Levy 32 years Geraldo's junior, she's also his fifth wife. They met when she was an employee of CNBC.
Harry Evans & Tina Brown
Age difference: 26 years
Tina was a college student when she met Harry, a famous newspaper editor. Harry quickly left his wife and kids to be with Tina, and they married in 1981.
Harvey Weinstein & Georgina Chapman
Age difference: 24 years
Shortly after splitting from his wife of 20 years in 2004, Harvey was publicly linked to Georgina, who is 24 years his junior. They married in 2007.
Jack Welch & Suzy Wetlaufer
Age difference: 24 years
Jack was still married to his second wife when he met Suzy, who was working on a story about Jack for the Harvard Business Review at the time. They married in 2004.
Ivana Trump & Rossano Rubicondi
Age difference: 24 years
The most famous cougar of all time, Ivana married Rossano in a lavish ceremony in Palm Beach in early 2008.
Donald Trump & Melania Trump
Age difference: 24 years
Donald and Melania met in 1999, two years after his divorce from Marla Maples. They got engaged five years later, married in 2005, and had their first child together, Barron, in 2006.
Tommy Mottola & Thalia
Age difference: 22 years
Two years after his divorce from Mariah Carey was finalized, the music mogul married another young pop star, the Latin singer Thalia, in 2000.
Howard Stern & Beth Ostrosky
Age difference: 18 years
Howard and Beth started dating when Howard was separated (but not divorced) from his first wife. The couple, who are 18 years apart, tied the knot last month at Le Cirque.