When Variety asked Diane von Furstenberg what it means to be a woman married to a gay man, she didn’t hesitate. The 78-year-old fashion icon, businesswoman, and feminist pioneer smiled — and said, “What’s the difference?”
That simple, fearless answer has become pure DVF — elegant, confident, and impossible to shock. For Diane, love has never fit neatly inside labels, and her response to her husband Barry Diller’s recent coming out as gay perfectly captures that worldview. “It doesn’t change anything,” she said. “I married two gay men, OK? I don’t know why, but to me, they’re not gay — so it doesn’t make any difference.”
Her husband, billionaire media mogul Barry Diller, 83, came out publicly in May 2025 in an emotional essay for New York Magazine titled “The Truth About Us.” In it, Diller revealed what many in their social circles had long suspected — that he had always been attracted to men but had shared a once-in-a-lifetime connection with Diane. “While there have been a good many men in my life,” he wrote, “there has only ever been one woman, and she didn’t come into my life until I was 33 years old.”
The admission sparked global headlines. How could one of America’s most glamorous power couples — the woman who invented the wrap dress and the man who built an empire — redefine their marriage so publicly, so unapologetically? But for Diane, who has never been afraid to defy expectation, the answer was as straightforward as her designs: love is love.
“I don’t understand,” she told Variety, when pressed about whether it bothered her. “It’s a stupid question. I married Barry because I loved him, not because of what he represents. He’s my partner, my soul mate. That’s all that matters.”
Diane and Barry’s story has always been unconventional. They first met in the late 1970s when she was already a global fashion star and he was a rising media executive. Their connection was instant — romantic, intellectual, and deeply rooted in mutual respect. After years of on-and-off dating, they finally married in 2001. “At first, I thought we’d just be friends,” she said. “Then it turned into passion. He was very insistent.”
Their marriage, spanning more than two decades, has long been one of the most fascinating in American high society — a partnership built on love, independence, and shared brilliance. While Diller ran major studios and later built IAC and Expedia, Diane redefined modern femininity with her fashion empire, philanthropy, and mentorship of women worldwide. They were fixtures at the Met Gala, the Oscars, and every major cultural event, a union of two people too powerful and self-assured to care about convention.
Barry’s coming out didn’t shock those close to them — and certainly not Diane. “She always knew,” says a friend of the couple. “They’ve lived authentically for years. Their love has never been about sex or secrecy — it’s been about trust, respect, and true companionship.”
Diller wrote that their relationship “caused confusion and lots of speculation,” but insisted it was never a façade. “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.”
Diane, meanwhile, views his coming out as simply another chapter in a long and extraordinary partnership. “For me, the book is not about that,” she said, referencing Diller’s memoir Who Knew, in which he discusses his sexuality. “It’s about his life — his truth. And of course, with me, he opened immediately. For 50 years, I was the only person he opened to. Then he wrote the book.”
Before Diller, Diane was married to another man who defied traditional expectations — Prince Egon von Fürstenberg, the aristocratic fashion designer who was openly bisexual. They married in 1969, had two children — Prince Alexandre and Princess Tatiana — and separated in 1972. “Egon was the father of my children and my first love,” Diane has said. “He taught me freedom.”
It’s no coincidence that both of her marriages have been rooted in acceptance. “Diane doesn’t judge,” says one close friend. “She’s always attracted to intelligence, creativity, and soul — not labels. If you love her, she loves you back, without conditions.”
Her grace under scrutiny is part of what has made Diane von Furstenberg a cultural icon for nearly five decades. From revolutionizing women’s fashion with her famous wrap dress to building a multimillion-dollar brand on independence and empowerment, she has always lived her life unapologetically — and expects those around her to do the same.
“She’s one of the few people who can look at something society considers complicated and make it sound simple,” the friend adds. “Barry being gay doesn’t threaten her identity — it enhances it. It shows the depth of her love and her ability to evolve.”
Today, the couple continues to live between their Manhattan home and their beloved Little Island project on the Hudson River, which Diller created as a public park and monument to art and love. “They still spend time together, travel together, laugh together,” says another source. “They’re life partners — that’s never changed.”
And perhaps that’s Diane von Furstenberg’s real message to the world: that love doesn’t have to fit into anyone else’s idea of what it should be.
“I’ve had a very lucky life,” she once said. “I’ve loved deeply, I’ve worked hard, I’ve built something that will last — and I’m still curious about everything.”
For Diane and Barry, that curiosity — that willingness to evolve and tell the truth — may be the secret to their extraordinary marriage.
Or, as Diane herself put it best: “After all these years, what’s the difference? It’s still love.”
Rob Shuter is a celebrity journalist, talk-show host, and former publicist who has represented stars including Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, Kate Spade, Diddy, Jon Bon Jovi, Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell, Jessica Simpson, and HRH Princess Michael of Kent. He is the author of The 4 Word Answer, a bestselling self-help book blending Hollywood stories with personal breakthroughs. Rob hosts Naughty But Nice with Rob, a top 20 iTunes podcast, and was the only entertainment columnist at The Huffington Post. A veteran of PR and magazines, he also helmed OK! Magazine. Read his latest exclusives at robshuter.substack.com