Editing David Geffen (section)

== Personal life ==
=== Sexuality ===
Geffen was initially defensive about his sexuality. During the 1970s he dated [[Cher]] and spent 18 months in a relationship with her. They began their relationship in 1973, while Cher was still married to [[Sonny Bono]], but their marriage was already ending. Geffen helped Cher gain independence in her career, since she was dependent on Sonny for some business contracts that Geffen would later call "slave labor." In early 1974, Cher's divorce became public and was heavily covered by the media, and it was at this time that Cher and Geffen made their first appearance together, at the [[Grammy Awards]] ceremony. It was from this moment that Geffen became a media celebrity.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Higgins |first=Bill |date=2012-02-11 |title=How David Geffen Romanced Cher and Built a Music Empire |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/grammys-cher-david-geffen-289539/ |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-05-18 |title=I (Don't) Got You Babe: The End of Sonny and Cher |url=https://blankonblank.org/2016/05/sonny-and-cher-short-history/ |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=Blank on Blank |language=en-US}}</ref> Eventually, Cher left him for [[Gregg Allman]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baumgold |first=Julie |date=August 12, 2021 |title=The Esquire Story That Drove David Geffen Crazy |url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a37281568/david-geffen-cher-esquire-story-interview/ |access-date=April 18, 2022 |website=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Higgins |first=Bill |date=February 11, 2012 |title=How David Geffen Romanced Cher and Built a Music Empire |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/grammys-cher-david-geffen-289539/ |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref> Geffen eventually [[Coming out|came out]] as [[gay]] in 1992. In May 2007, ''[[Out (magazine)|Out]]'' magazine ranked Geffen first in its list of the 50 "Most Powerful Gay Men and Women in America".<ref name="outmagtop1003">{{Cite web |date=May 2007 |title=The Most Powerful Gay Men and Women in America |url=https://www.out.com/gay-news?id=22394 |access-date=January 15, 2009 |website=[[Out (magazine)|Out Magazine]]}}</ref> Geffen reportedly married 30-year-old former [[Go-go dancing|go-go dancer]] Donovan Michaels in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Hernandez |first1=Marjorie |last2=Greer |first2=Carlos |date=2023-04-09 |title=David Geffen's 'husband' is a former go-go dancer with a murky past: ex-pals |url=https://nypost.com/2023/04/09/david-geffens-husband-is-a-former-go-go-dancer-with-a-murky-past-ex-pals/ |access-date=2024-07-21 |language=en-US}}</ref>  In May 2025 it was reported that Geffen had filed for divorce and did not have a [[pre-nuptial agreement]] with Michaels.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2025/05/17/entertainment/billionaire-david-geffen-82-files-for-divorce-without-prenup/ |title=Billionaire David Geffen, 82, files for divorce from go-go dancer husband, 32, without prenup |website=New York Post |date=2025-05-17 |accessdate=2025-05-20}}</ref>

=== Wealth ===
As of October 2023, Geffen has an estimated net worth of $9.1 billion, making him one of the [[List of celebrities by net worth|richest people in the entertainment industry]].<ref name="dav_net3">{{cite web |date=2023-10-03 |title=Bloomberg Billionaires Index: David Geffen |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/billionaires/profiles/david-geffen/ |access-date=2023-10-03 |work=[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]}}</ref>

In February 2020, Geffen sold his [[Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills]] estate to [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]] CEO [[Jeff Bezos]] for $165 million, a price believed to be the highest ever paid for a home in a California real estate transaction.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Clarke |first=Katy McLaughlin and Katherine |date=2020-02-12 |title=WSJ News Exclusive {{!}} Jeff Bezos Buys David Geffen's Los Angeles Mansion for a Record $165 Million |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/jeff-bezos-buys-david-geffens-los-angeles-mansion-for-a-record-165-million-11581542020 |access-date=2021-02-09 |work=[[Wall Street Journal]] |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660}}</ref> In June 2020, Geffen purchased [[Casey Wasserman]]'s Beverly Hills estate for $68 million.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Leitereg |first=Neal |date=June 9, 2020 |title=David Geffen completes $68-million deal for Wasserman estate in Beverly Hills |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/real-estate/story/2020-06-09/david-geffen-completes-68-million-deal-for-wasserman-estate-in-beverly-hills |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

In 2007, Geffen bought a half-share in friend [[Larry Ellison]]'s [[luxury yacht]] [[Rising Sun (yacht)|''Rising Sun'']], then at {{convert|138|m}} the sixth largest motor yacht in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoffower |first=Hillary |date=July 28, 2019 |title=Jeff Bezos partied on billionaire David Geffen's $590 million superyacht in the Balearics — here's a look at the yacht, which has hosted everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Barack Obama |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/rising-sun-yacht-david-geffen-jeff-bezos-barack-obama-2019-8 |access-date=2020-02-14 |website=Business Insider}}</ref> After Ellison ordered a new and more compact {{convert|91|m}} yacht, he sold his remaining half share in ''Rising Sun'' to Geffen in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |date=October 25, 2010 |title=David Geffen Takes Possession Of "Rising Sun", World's Sixth Largest Yacht |url=http://boatworktimes.com/yacht-mainmenu-26/luxury/4439-david-geffen-takes-possession-of-qrising-sunq-worlds-sixth-largest-yacht.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111206032409/http://boatworktimes.com/yacht-mainmenu-26/luxury/4439-david-geffen-takes-possession-of-qrising-sunq-worlds-sixth-largest-yacht.html |archive-date=December 6, 2011 |access-date=October 2, 2011 |publisher=boatworktimes.com |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

In 2009, Russian billionaire [[Roman Abramovich]] agreed to a divorce settlement with his wife Irina that resulted in her taking ownership of the {{convert|115|m|adj=on}} yacht [[Pelorus (yacht)|''Pelorus'']]. Approached on Geffen's behalf by broker Merle Wood, Geffen bought ''Pelorus'' in 2011 for $300 million.<ref>{{cite web |author=David Pelly |title=Iconic yachts: Pelorus |url=https://www.boatinternational.com/yachts/editorial-features/iconic-yachts-pelorus |access-date=2012-12-25 |publisher=boatinternational.com}}</ref><ref name="BizInsider">{{cite web |author=Jared Paul Stern |date=July 14, 2011 |title=David Geffen's New $300 Million Yacht Gets Upstaged By A Russian Businessman's Boat In Mallorca |url=http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-07-14/lifestyle/30021324_1_pelorus-megayacht-fingerprint-scanner |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107074624/http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-07-14/lifestyle/30021324_1_pelorus-megayacht-fingerprint-scanner |archive-date=January 7, 2012 |access-date=October 2, 2011 |publisher=businessinsider.com |df=mdy}}</ref> Later that year Geffen sold ''Pelorus'' to Sheikh [[Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan|Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan]] for €214 million, way below its former price.<ref>{{cite web |title=Superyacht Coral Island |url=https://www.superyachtfan.com/superyacht_coral_island.html |website=Superyachtfan.com}}</ref>

During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], Geffen drew backlash for posting on [[Instagram]] that he and a 45-member crew were self-isolating in the [[Grenadines]] on the ''Rising Sun''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Liz Flynn |title=A Closer Look at David Geffen's Yacht Rising Sun |url=https://moneyinc.com/david-geffens-yacht-rising-sun/ |access-date=28 March 2020 |work=Money Inc. |quote=45 crew members}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Yachtfan |first=Peter |title=David Geffen &#124; Net Worth $ 9 billion {{!}} Rising Sun Yacht {{!}} Lurssen |url=https://www.superyachtfan.com/superyacht_rising_sun.html |access-date=April 17, 2020 |website=SuperYachtFan}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Luscombe |first=Richard |date=March 28, 2020 |title=Billionaire David Geffen criticized for tone-deaf self-isolation post |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/28/billionaire-david-geffen-isolation-coronavirus |access-date=April 17, 2020 |newspaper=The Guardian |via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Abram |date=March 28, 2020 |title=Long Live David Geffen, Yachtmaster And New King Of Tone-Deaf Instagram Posts |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2020/03/28/long-live-david-geffen-yachtmaster---and-new-king-of-tone-deaf-instagram-posts/ |access-date=April 17, 2020 |website=Forbes}}</ref>

Geffen has been ranked the most polluting individual American and second most polluting individual in the world, largely due to his yachts.<ref name="theconversation.com">{{cite web |date=16 February 2021 |title=Private planes, mansions and superyachts: What gives billionaires like Musk and Abramovich such a massive carbon footprint |url=https://theconversation.com/private-planes-mansions-and-superyachts-what-gives-billionaires-like-musk-and-abramovich-such-a-massive-carbon-footprint-152514 |access-date=2 October 2021 |website=[[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation]]}}</ref>

=== Art collection ===
Geffen is a keen collector of American artists' work, including [[Jackson Pollock]], [[Mark Rothko]] and [[Willem de Kooning]]. According to the chief curator at the [[Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles|Museum of Contemporary Art]] in Los Angeles, [[Paul Schimmel]]: "There's no collection that has a better representation of post-war American art than David Geffen's."<ref name="autogenerated1" />

In October 2006, Geffen sold two paintings by [[Jasper Johns]] and a [[Willem de Kooning|De Kooning]] from his collection for a combined sum of $143.5&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Vogel |first=Carol |date=2006-10-12 |title=Works by Johns and de Kooning Sell for $143.5 Million |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/12/arts/design/12geff.html |access-date=2020-02-14 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> On November 3, 2006, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that Geffen had sold [[Jackson Pollock|Pollock]]'s 1948 painting ''[[No. 5, 1948]]'' from his collection for $140&nbsp;million (£73.35&nbsp;million) to Mexican financier [[David Martinez (businessman)|David Martinez]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Vogel |first=Carol |date=2006-11-02 |title=A Pollock Is Sold, Possibly for a Record Price |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/02/arts/design/02drip.html |access-date=2020-02-14 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Martinez is the founder of London-based Fintech Advisory Ltd, a financial house that specializes in buying [[Developing countries' debt|Third World debt]]. The sale made ''No. 5, 1948'' the [[List of most expensive paintings|most expensive painting]] ever sold (outstripping the $134&nbsp;million paid in October 2006 for [[Gustav Klimt]]'s portrait ''[[Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I]],'' purchased by cosmetics heir [[Ronald Lauder]]).<ref>{{Cite news |author=Nigel Reynolds |date=2006-11-03 |title=Pollock world's most expensive painting |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1533200/Pollock-worlds-most-expensive-painting.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1533200/Pollock-worlds-most-expensive-painting.html |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |access-date=2020-02-14 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Wealth-X reported in June 2013 that Geffen owns the most valuable private art collection in the world, and estimated its worth at $1.1B at the time.<ref>{{cite news |date=June 29, 2013 |title=Private Wealth: Geffen's Art Collection Tops In Value |url=http://www.wealthx.com/articles/2013/private-wealth-geffens-art-collection-tops-in-value/ |website=Wealthx.com}}</ref>

In February 2016, Bloomberg News reported that Geffen had sold De Kooning's 1955 oil painting, ''[[Interchange (de Kooning)|Interchange]]'', for $300 million, and Pollock's 1948 painting, ''[[Number 17A]]'', for $200 million, both to hedge fund billionaire [[Kenneth C. Griffin|Ken Griffin]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 19, 2016 |title=Billionaire drops $500M for 2 masterpieces |url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/billionaire-drops-500m-for-2-masterpieces |access-date=September 3, 2021 |website=Fox News}}</ref>

=== Political views ===
Geffen is a donor to [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] candidates and organizations, and was an early financial supporter of President [[Bill Clinton]]. In 2001, he had a quarrel with the former president over Clinton's decision not to pardon [[Leonard Peltier]], on whose behalf he had lobbied the President.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{Cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6387615.stm |work=BBC News | title=Faces of the week | date=February 23, 2007 | access-date=May 1, 2010}}</ref>

Geffen was an early supporter of [[Barack Obama]]’s presidential campaign and raised $1.3&nbsp;million for Obama in a [[Beverly Hills]] fundraiser.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-obama-idUSN2145471520070222|title=Obama finds friends, money in Hollywood|date=2007-02-22|work=Reuters|access-date=2020-02-14|language=en}}</ref>

Along with other Hollywood figures including [[Steven Spielberg]] and [[Brad Pitt]], Geffen donated to oppose [[2008 California Proposition 8|Proposition 8 in the November 2008 election]]. Proposition 8 would have amended California's Constitution to ban [[same-sex marriage]].<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.sfgate.com/webdb/prop8/?appSession=587482278271008&RecordID=14493&PageID=3&PrevPageID=2&cpipage=1&CPIsortType=&CPIorderBy= | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207142742/http://www.sfgate.com/webdb/prop8/?appSession=587482278271008&RecordID=14493&PageID=3&PrevPageID=2&cpipage=1&CPIsortType=&CPIorderBy= | url-status=dead | archive-date=December 7, 2008 | work=The San Francisco Chronicle | title=Proposition 8 contributions | df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Proposition 8: Who gave in the gay marriage battle?(Dreamworks Skg) |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jan-24-me-gay-marriage24-story.html|access-date=3 July 2012|newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Proposition 8: Who gave in the gay marriage battle? (Dreamworks Studios) |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jan-24-me-gay-marriage24-story.html|access-date=3 July 2012|newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> California's voters passed Proposition 8 by a margin of 52.24% to 47.76%. Decisions in federal courts ultimately invalidated California's prohibition of same-sex marriage. See [[2008 California Proposition 8#Legal challenges|2008 California Proposition 8 § Legal challenges]].

Geffen, among other wealthy Democrats, donated to [[the Lincoln Project]], a Republican-led super PAC that opposed the re-election of Donald Trump and the Republican Senators who supported Trump in the 2020 election.<ref>{{cite news |title=Six More Billionaires Donate To The Anti-Trump Lincoln Project |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/michelatindera/2020/07/15/six-billionaires-join-christy-walton-to-support-anti-trump-republican-group-that-sparked-trump-twitter-tirades/|website=Forbes |date=July 15, 2020}}</ref>