Billionaire media magnate David Geffen has a new "husband" who reportedly has a "secretive" past that includes several name changes and a career as a go-go dancer. Donovan Michaels, 30, is believed to have met the 80-year-old while serving as his personal trainer in 2020, but they are now a couple.
Former friends told The New York Post that Michaels is more accustomed to working odd jobs in New York and Miami while Geffen, who boasts a fortune worth $7.7 billion, is typically seen on his mega-yacht or in one of his luxurious properties across the globe. However, friends have now come forward to tell conflicting tales about Michaels' past.
Shady Past
According to reports, Michaels and Geffen got married last month in a secret ceremony in Beverly Hills. In April, the two were seen leaving a helipad in New York City together, and Geffen was seen with a gold wedding band on his finger, the Daily Mail reported.
It wasn't clear if Michaels was also wearing a wedding band. The couple hasn't announced any wedding in the media.
Geffen made a fortune as a record executive and a co-founder of DreamWorks. According to sources who spoke with The New York Post, Michaels' career has consisted of stringing together odd jobs while mixing with other models in NYC.
Michaels was born David Armstrong in Michigan. He adopted the name Brandon Foster around the time he relocated to Florida in 2014, dancing and promoting events at Miami's gay clubs, including "clothing optional" pool parties "along with plenty of other hot sexy guys."
In a post from September 2014, he said he was "doing a little camming tonight," adding that he would "put on a good show" for anyone who would pay to watch his footage. At the time, he routinely flaunted his toned physique in raunchy photos.
He moved to New York City sometime between 2016 and 2017, when he adopted the stage name, Donovan Michaels.
A former girlfriend claimed that although she was solely aware of him dating women, she 'wouldn't be surprised' if he was dating men as well.
The ex claimed that Michaels was the kind of person who would always go headfirst into any adventure and wasn't surprised to learn of his engagement. "I wouldn't be surprised. I mean, he's very attractive," she said. "He would tell me people just assumed that he was into guys from what he posts on Instagram."
"I know that he was getting comments like that from gay men, that he was really attractive and in really good shape."
Mysterious Character
It's unclear how Michaels Geffen connected, but a source told The Post that Geffen received training from Michaels. Geffen famously shared a photo of himself and his employees being quarantined on his $400 million mega yacht, the Rising Sun, in 2020.
Only a few weeks ago, Showbiz411 revealed that the pair had been married in March in a small ceremony with only four guests present. When approached by The Post about the allegations of the couple's wedding, Angela Armstrong, one of Michaels' sisters, declined to confirm or reject the reports.
The former fitness trainer, though, "was always seeking for his next adventure and was really determined to improve his life," according to one of Michaels' colleagues who spoke to The Post and asked to remain unnamed.
"I think he rebelled a lot when he was younger, and that was a big part of why he left."
According to a modeling consultant who recalls working with him in 2016, saying Michaels was a "great model," but he was not chosen for any additional assignments.
"One thing I noticed was he was really into training and fitness, but as for modeling, I haven't seen him around in years... and we work with a lot of different brands," they told The Post.
Geffen came out as gay in 1992 after years of being associated with a number of famous women, including Cher.
Geffen created Asylum Records earlier in his illustrious career, signing musical icons including Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and the Eagles. Afterward, he founded Geffen Records, which went on to release music by artists including Elton John, Cher, Aerosmith, Blink-182, and Nirvana.
In the 1990s, Geffen co-founded DreamWorks alongside Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and others.
