Is It Fair To Call Jerry Hall Gold Digger For Her Divorce With Rupert Murdoch ?

Jerry Hall And Rupert Murdoch Divorce: Today, the world woke up to the reports of media mogul Rupert Morduch and model and actor Jerry Hall splitting up after six years of marriage. Morduch, who is currently 91 years old, married Jerry Hall, 65, in the year 2016. It was his fourth marriage and, as per reports, the shortest one. Many who know the duo closely are shocked at their sudden divorce. They imagined the couple to have been made for each other. While there are many others who are using the news to troll the couple. Meanwhile neither Hall nor Murdoch have confirmed that they are actually getting divorce.

As the news broke, Twitter was flooded with comments on how Jerry Hall’s decision to divorce Murdoch was her ‘coming back to senses’. This was mainly because people couldn’t wrap their heads around the fact that a young model chose an old billionaire to marry. In a tweet, a person said, “Why can’t we see the likes of Jerry Hall marrying much younger, sexier attractive men? Moreover, others called out Hall as a gold-digger who married an unattractive man just for his money. Comments making fun of how Hall couldn’t wait any longer for Murdoch to die and hence gain control of his empire have flooded Twitter. A tweet read, “jerry hall got sick of waiting for rupert murdoch to die and has abandoned that grift.” While another said, “Jerry Hall finally got tired of dressing for the job she wanted. Widow. "

The news of divorce comes in right after Dominion defamation suit of $2.3 billion has been charged against Fox News. The Twitterati have left no stone unturned to use this coincidence as a reason why Hall decided to leave Murdoch. One of the tweets read, “Rupes being sued for billions by Dominion. #JerryHall is bailing coz he will be bankrupt” Some even said that Hall wants to take away money in divorce settlement before the defamation lawsuit bleeds Murdoch dry of money.

These criticisms that are being hurled at the couple are not shocking. Patriarchy has been constantly using ageism to shame or invalidate relationships. When a woman marries a man younger than her, she is criticised for trying to take the upper hand in the relationship. But if a woman marries a man much older and richer than her, she is considered to be a gold-digger who looks forward to her husband’s death.

Similarly, in the Hall-Murdoch case, Hall is being defamed for marrying an old man closer to death just because he is a billionaire. Many are questioning why did she even marry Murdoch in the first place and what was it that attracted her to him. No one is able to visualise the fact that the duo might actually have love and concern for each other which goes much beyond the bank balance.

This should also make us question our prejudices that consider older men or women incapable of wanting love. We assume that a man or a woman who is nearing death can never be so attractive as to date or marry someone. And this is the reason why some of the tweets are shaming Murdoch for moving towards his fourth divorce and probably fifth marriage at the vulnerable age of 91. Twitterati finds Murdoch’s wrinkles too much to deserve eternal love.

But dear society, who are we to decide whether Hall married Murdoch for love or money? Just because she is a celebrity, does she deserve all the trolling and speculations about her private life? Why can’t we just sit back and let celebrities handle their personal matters?

Moreover, when are we going to stop judging relationships based on age and money? Is it necessary that every relationship that has an age gap is bound to fail? Is it necessary that every woman marries rich people just for their &t=55s">money? And why can’t we see relationships as two people coming together- be it for love, companionship or money? What matters in a relationship- mutual understanding and respect or the purpose of it? Would a marriage that has a perfect age gap and is not dependent on monetary needs survive if the partners do not respect each other?

Let us understand that marriage or relationships are spaces where only the involving partners have a say. They decide what is right and wrong for the relationship to work. A relationship can have on different goals but the bottom line remains that it should have understanding and respect. Concepts like contractual marriage, lavender marriage and others are common and equally valid as any other marriages.

Sometimes outsider’s interference is required but not based on assumptions or prejudices. So whether Hall is divorcing Murdoch for lack of love, lack of patience or money, it is her choice. We do not have the right to assume and speculate. Remember there can never be a wrong time or wrong reason to divorce a partner. They are public figures but let's not reduce them to public property.

Views expressed are the author's own.