Who is Wendi Deng? All about Rupert Murdoch’s ex-wife spotted at Jeff Bezos wedding

Wendi Deng—once best known as Rupert Murdoch’s formidable third wife—has always had a way of commanding attention. But this week, the Chinese-American businesswoman was making headlines as she was spotted laughing and strolling through Venice beside NFL legend Tom Brady during Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s star-studded wedding festivities.

The two, believed to be single, shared a lively exchange on their way to the pre-wedding soirée at the historic Madonna dell’Orto, setting off fresh buzz around the famously enigmatic Deng.

So, who exactly is Wendi Deng?

At 56, she’s an investor, producer, and power connector with deep roots in Silicon Valley and the international art world. A Yale MBA and co-founder of the online art platform Artsy, she has been instrumental in building bridges between the American tech elite and major Chinese investors.

According to a 2016 profile in Vogue, Deng is admired for her “in-kind power”—the ability to match people, ideas, and capital across industries and cultures.

As filmmaker Bennett Miller put it, “Things just manifest around her. That’s her gift.”

Wendi Deng was born in Xuzhou, China, and lived without electricity, a phone, or hot water.

“I never had a toy. Not one doll, anything,” she says and continues to explain how ‘boring’ her life was during Vogue’s interview.

To transform her situation, she first came to the U.S. on a student visa, which enabled her to earn an economics degree from Cal State Northridge and then Yale.

Her rise to fame began in 1997 while working at Star TV in Hong Kong, and she met Rupert Murdoch. Their marriage occurred two years later—just 17 days after Murdoch divorced his second wife Anna—and together they had two daughters, Grace and Chloe, before their divorce in 2013.

Wendi Deng: A business brain with a cultural compass

Wendi Deng has sculpted a powerful and distinct identity since her divorce, one that embodies an affinity for technology, art, and social connections. She co-produced the documentary Sky Ladder on Netflix, which tells the story of Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang’s 21-year attempt to create a 500-meter-tall ladder of fireworks.

“It’s a metaphor,” she says in Vogue, “for achieving something that seems impossible.”

In addition to serving on the board of many other prominent art institutions, she single-handedly funded major exhibitions,

including the ‘China: Through the Looking Glass’ Met Costume exhibition.

Wendi Deng’s social orbit is nothing short of dazzling. She’s often described as a legendary matchmaker and behind-the-scenes connector. Arianna Huffington, Diane von Furstenberg, and even Ivanka Trump count among her friends.

As Vogue noted, Deng’s parties are “classic Wendi: East and West, youth and experience, science and art.”

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Whether hosting Chinese CEOs in New York or helping launch tech startups, her presence is always felt.

“Wendi brings a breeze of the spring,” said Cai Guo-Qiang through a translator. “She has become a bridge between sophisticated cultures.”

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