The divorce saga of David Geffen has burst onto the public stage, ignited by a lawsuit filed by his estranged spouse, Donovan Michaels, in the Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday. The legal action paints Geffen, an 82-year-old entertainment titan, as a "wealthy, powerful white gay billionaire who believed himself untouchable," exploiting a "vulnerable, marginalized young gay Black man."
Back in May, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Geffen had initiated divorce proceedings against Michaels, 32, citing irreconcilable differences after less than two years of marriage. The pair had tied the knot in a private ceremony in Beverly Hills in 2023, with Michaels, whose real name is David Armstrong and once a go-go dancer, keeping their relationship mostly under wraps until now. However, the lawsuit has unveiled the intimate details of their complex union.
According to the complaint, their story began on the dating website SeekingArrangements.com, where Geffen allegedly paid Michaels $10,000 for a sexual encounter on their first night. The lawsuit claims that, much like the plot of the film Trading Places, Geffen treated Michaels as a living social experiment — a trophy to parade before his wealthy peers under the guise of benevolence.
Despite being aware of Michaels' troubled upbringing in the foster care system, Geffen, instead of offering empathy or genuine support, saw him as an object of exploitation, the suit alleges. Over time, their paid sexual arrangement evolved into a romantic partnership, with Geffen professing his love and promising to treat Michaels as a life partner, sharing all assets equally and providing lifetime financial support. Enchanted by these promises, Michaels abandoned his dreams, including his modeling career and independence.
In 2023, they married without a prenuptial agreement, but what Michaels didn't realize at the time, according to the lawsuit, was that this marriage was merely a transaction to Geffen. Throughout their union, the mogul reportedly criticized every aspect of Michaels' appearance and meticulously controlled his hygiene, mandating painful laser and dental treatments. Additionally, Michaels faced insults and belittlement about his past and lack of sophistication.
The complaint further accuses Geffen of demanding sexual access at will, including degrading acts, and providing Michaels with drugs and alcohol as tools of coercion, increasing his dependency and lowering his resistance. This led Michaels to seek treatment for addiction.
Following treatment, Michaels attempted to reconcile with Geffen, but the mogul allegedly sought only control and submission, wanting to play the role of savior and "top." When Geffen filed for divorce in April 2025, he allegedly breached their oral agreements almost immediately by withholding full financial support from Michaels. A few months later, while hosting his wealthy celebrity friends on his superyacht in Venice, Italy, preparing for the Bezos wedding, Geffen demanded that Michaels vacate their New York residence, effectively rendering him homeless.
The lawsuit states that, in addition to evicting Michaels, Geffen cut off his financial support, making it impossible for him to secure adequate living arrangements and provide for his daily needs.
When reached for comment, Geffen's attorney was contacted by THR. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Geffen boasts a net worth of over $9.1 billion, ranking him at No. 371 on the list of the world's wealthiest individuals as of July 22.
In the entertainment industry, Geffen co-founded Asylum Records in 1971 before establishing Geffen Records and DGC Records. His motion picture company, Geffen Pictures, produced notable films and TV shows, including Personal Best, Beetlejuice, Interview with the Vampire, and Little Shop of Horrors. In 1994, he co-founded DreamWorks SKG with Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg, which later spun off DreamWorks Animation into a publicly traded company a decade later.
