Music and entertainment mogul David Geffen is currently fighting it out in court with his former husband, Donovan Michaels. The case, which was filed earlier this year in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claims that Geffen reneged on an oral promise of lifetime financial support, which Michaels says was key to the couple's relationship.
Michaels had tied the knot with 82-year-old billionaire David Geffen whose name is associated with some of the most iconic moments in music and film, in 2023 Source: the fairy tale was short-lived; they divorced this year, and the aftermath has been a very public and very bitter battle that's casting an unflattering light on Geffen's personal life.
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Michaels's lawsuit presents a grim scenario. He says Geffen offered to pay for him in return for becoming his partner, carer, and travel companion. But that support was suddenly pulled when Geffen filed for divorce. Even more painfully, according to Michaels, he was evicted from their New York City apartment, which left him homeless and emotionally decimated.
The suit delves further into their darker dynamics. Michaels, a gay Black man, claims Geffen's behavior is an abuse of power, and calls him a "wealthy, powerful, white gay billionaire who felt he was untouchable." He claims Geffen emotionally and physically … "Mikeisoned" him while demanding "sexual access at will" and berating him, which Michaels says was "the norm," and that's how The Business of Rock and Roll: who's fucking who and who's getting fucked cuts the mustard.
Michaels says things only got worse when he went to rehab for addiction and decided he wanted to be known as something other than Geffen's boy toy. That, he says, was the beginning of the end of their romance.
Geffen's legal team vehemently responded, stating that the allegations were "pathetic" and "untrue." They argue that the two men had no contract of any kind, oral, written, or implied. That legal tug-of-war is happening against the backdrop of Geffen's enormous legacy.
David Geffen is a name that ripples through the last six decades of entertainment history. From co-founding Asylum Records in the early 1970s to founding Geffen Records in 1980, he has been a pivotal figure in the careers of acts like Nirvana, Bob Dylan, and the Eagles. It's no less of an impact in the film universe with heavyweights including Tim Burton's cult classic Beetlejuice and co-founding DreamWorks Pictures with Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg.
As his label would eventually merge into the established rap empire that is Interscope-Geffen-A&M, he always had his foot in Hip-Hop, albeit far more indirectly, after the late 80s hit-making group N.W.A. helped popularize gangster rap in the 90s, along with Death Row cohorts Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur.
Openly gay for nearly 30 years, Geffen's personal life has long been the subject of fascination to the public, from his high-profile relationship with Cher in the '70s to the very public legal fight he's engaging in today. A private relationship has become a courtroom spectacle that has exploded the mythos of one of the most powerful figures in the entertainment world.
As the lawsuit unfolds, the story raises broader questions about power, privilege, and the personal costs of public fame. For now, the industry looks on as two very different lives collide, the legacy of a billionaire precariously balanced against a man's fight for dignity and justice.
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