Barry Diller Comes Out After 24-Year Marriage to Diane Von Furstenberg

Tech billionaire Barry Diller is opening up about his sexuality and scrutinized 24-year marriage to fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg.

In an essay published May 6 in New York Magazine, Diller, 83, admitted to his experiences with same-sex attraction in something of a coming out. The excerpt comes from his upcoming memoir, "Who Knew," set for release on May 20.

"While there have been a good many men in my life, there has only ever been one woman, and she didn't come into my life until I was 33 years old," Diller wrote of Fürstenberg, 78. The pair's on-again-off-again relationship initially lasted until 1981 before they split, only to reunite in 1991, according to Page Six. They married in 2001 but did not have kids together.

Diller's sexuality has long been under speculation, with one article from New York Magazine, titled "Inside Out," stating that he was "often referred to as bisexual," although reportedly "lived most of his adult life as a more or less openly gay man."

In his memoir, Diller wrote that, despite his attraction to men, the "biological imperative" of his relationship with Fürstenberg "was as strong in its heterosexuality as its opposite had been."

"I'm well aware that this part of my life has caused confusion and lots of speculation," Diller wrote. "A relationship that began with indifference, then exploded into a romance as natural to us as breathing, surprised us and everyone else. It really is the miracle of my life."

Despite sexual experiences with men dating back to his teenage years, Diller revealed in his memoir that he was hesitant to openly discuss his sexuality due to his high-profile status in the business world.

"I'd conquered other phobias, but fear of exposure still had a tyrannical hold on me, so much so that it stunted any chance of my having a fulfilling personal life," Diller wrote. "Instead, I had discovered I could separate myself from anything painful or terrifying by just locking it away, putting it into a distant box, and having to deal with it hopefully never."

Diller added that his sexuality was never a "conflict" in his romance with Fürstenberg.

"There was no effort, no reasoning, no what's-going-on-here, no ambition, no anything," Diller wrote. "Other than sheer excitement, I thought, 'Well, this is a surprise!' I certainly didn't feel, 'Oh my God, what does this mean?' I was simply existing in the moment, a rare place for me."

Reflecting on modern-day sexual identities, Diller wrote that they are "much more fluid and natural, without all those rigidly defined lanes of the last century."

"I've lived for decades reading about Diane and me: about us being best friends rather than lovers," Diller concluded. "Plain and simple, it was an explosion of passion that kept up for years. And, yes, I also liked guys, but that was not a conflict with my love for Diane.

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