By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-12 17:21:35 | Updated at 2024-12-23 08:52:59
1 week ago
Her home is now a $110million Japanese-inspired estate in the upmarket California town of Woodside – but life wasn't always so luxurious for Jolin Zhu, who was recently revealed to be the fifth wife of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison.
Much of 33-year-old Zhu's life is shrouded in mystery, but a DailyMail.com investigation has revealed that the new Mrs. Ellison is a Chinese native who arrived in the United States in 2010 to pursue a bachelor's degree in international studies at the University of Michigan.
Zhu has known Ellison since at least 2018 when she was pictured sitting with him on consecutive days at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament which was held in Indian Wells, California, in March of that year.
At the time, Ellison was still married to fourth wife Nikita, 38, although divorce documents obtained by DailyMail.com show a separation date of 2016 with legal proceedings concluding in May 2020.
Zhu was thrust into the spotlight last week when she was revealed to have played a role in the multi-million-dollar deal that saw star quarterback Bryce Underwood, 17, ditch Louisiana State University for Zhu's alma mater, the Michigan Wolverines.
The news of Underwood's defection – and Ellison's fifth marriage - was disclosed by Champions Circle, a University of Michigan alumni organization that focuses on supporting student athletes.
The statement, signed off by chairman Nate Forbes, said: 'We are very excited to keep Bryce home in Michigan as he continues to build his legacy.'
Forbes added: 'I want to personally thank Larry and his wife Jolin who were instrumental in making this happen by providing Champions Circle with invaluable guidance and financial resources.
Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison's, 80, fifth wife Jolin Zhu, 33, came to the United States to pursue a bachelor's degree in international studies at the University of Michigan
Champions Circle, a University of Michigan alumni organization that focuses on supporting student-athletes, released a statement where they thanked Ellison and Zhu for their efforts in securing a $10M deal to grab 17-year-old quarterback Bryce Underwood
The couple was photographed three times before his divorce from Nikita Kahn, 38, was finalized in 2020 at the BNP Paribas Tennis Open in Indian Wells, California, in 2018 and 2019
The statement also included a note from Zhu herself, which read: 'I am a big fan of the University of Michigan and Michigan Athletics.
'We are excited to support our student-athletes, so they can go compete at the highest level in college sports.'
Now DailyMail.com can reveal that Zhu – whose legal name is Keren – spent her first year in the US living in modest student accommodation where prices start at $880 per month.
Her Ann Arbor residence, in the Willowtree Apartments north of campus, was shared with another student, 36-year-old Ang Zhu.
Ang, who has since returned to his native China and now lives in Hong Kong, studied nuclear engineering at the college and graduated with a PhD in June 2016.
It is unclear whether he and Zhu were a couple, siblings or unrelated friends – and those who knew him at college appear equally unsure.
Brendan Kochunas, 40, was Ang's PhD supervisor and told DailyMail.com he had never mentioned Zhu during the time he knew him.
'He never spoke about her with me,' he said. 'He left Michigan immediately after graduating – most of the students he studied with left and fanned out after graduation.'
Underwood on the University of Michigan's field on November 23 before their game against the Northwestern Wildcats - he's regarded as the number one recruit in the nation
Zhu – whose legal name is Keren – spent her first year in the US living in modest student accommodation where prices start at $880 per month
Zhu lived in the Willowtree Apartments north of the Ann Arbor campus with now 36-year-old Ang Zhu - another student who has since gone back to China to work for a Hong Kong-based hedge fund. Both share the same last name but it's unclear what their connection is
The PhD advisor Zhu's roommate Ang (above) and other colleagues on campus, didn't know who Zhu was. But his professor William Martin recalled that the young man was 'a brilliant student'
Like Kochunas, Michael Jarrett, 32, was similarly bemused when Zhu's name was brought up to him.
Jarrett, now a nuclear engineer based in Seattle, Washington, co-authored several papers with Ang during their studies but said he had been reticent about his personal life.
In a text to DailyMail.com, he said: 'I haven't had any contact with Ang since he finished his PhD, and I never had much of a personal relationship with him outside of work.
'I don't recall ever meeting his wife.'
Their professor William Martin has since retired but did remember Ang. 'He was a brilliant student,' he told DailyMail.com. 'One of the best.'
But like the others, he did not know Zhu. Ang, who now works in research and development for a Hong Kong-based hedge fund, did not reply to multiple emails and messages requesting clarification from DailyMail.com.
Ang's associates aside, Zhu was even an enigma to her own classmates. Of those approached by DailyMail.com, none remembered her from college.
Following her graduation in 2012, Zhu left the Midwest behind and relocated to California's Bay Area where she briefly rented an apartment at the Riva Terra complex in Redwood Shores – a suburb of Redwood City – in 2013.
Located close to Oracle's headquarters at the time, it is possible that the Michigan graduate had secured herself a position there.
When DailyMail.com visited the modest apartment complex where prices start at a monthly rate of $2,642 for a taste of the notoriously expensive Bay Area – none of the neighbors had any idea who she was.
But the property is a stone's throw – just half a mile – from the home where she is currently listed as living.
After Zhu graduated in 2012, she moved to California's Bay Area and rented from the Riva Terra Complex in Redwood Shores in 2013 - prices currently start there at a monthly rate of $2,642
The tan exterior of the Riva Terra apartments. None of the neighbors in the complex could recall who Ellison's wife was or if she had lived there
The $110million Japanese-inspired estate in Woodside, California, is where Zhu resides, at the end of a cul-de-sac that neighbors claim is entirely owned by Ellison. They told DailyMail.com she is rarely seen at home
According to neighbors, the world's third richest man owns six properties on the cul-de-sac, using them largely as employee housing - including the $110million Japanese-inspired estate that Zhu is listed as living at.
When DailyMail.com rang the bell at the wood-paneled property on Sunday, there was no answer and neighbors said Zhu is rarely seen at the home.
Perhaps that should come as no surprise given her husband owns a property empire worth an estimated $1billion.
Despite four divorces, Ellison has kept his property empire largely intact.
Nikita, who now lives in Malibu, California, split from the billionaire in December 2016 following a marriage that lasted less than 18 months.
Divorce records obtained by DailyMail.com show the split was uncontested and that she was provided with a settlement. But the full details have been kept private.
What is clear is that Zhu and her now husband knew each other well before Ellison filed for divorce from Nikita in November 2019.
Zhu has only been photographed in public with her billionaire husband on three separate occasions, all taken during the BNP Paribas Tennis Open in Indian Wells, California, in 2018 and 2019.
Ellison has been married five times, most recently finalizing his divorce from Nikita – a Ukrainian-American model and actress – in 2020
Ellison owns a 98 percent stake of the Hawaiian island Lānaʻi, which he purchased for an estimated $300million in 2012 from David Murdock's company, Castle & Cooke. On the island, he also owns the five-star Four Seasons Resort Lānaʻi
Two images show the couple seated in the stands together, with Zhu dressed entirely in black in one of the photos and sporting a University of Michigan cap in the other.
No photographs showing Zhu have been taken since then, with the 33-year-old remaining in the shadows – although Ellison was rumored to have told friends since then that he has become the father of two toddlers.
His life has also taken him away from California with Oracle's headquarters relocated to Austin, Texas, in 2020, and Ellison announcing plans to move them again – to Nashville, Tennessee – in April this year.
The octogenarian tech boss has also been spending more time on the Hawaiian island of Lānaʻi, in which he bought a 98 percent stake for an estimated $300million in 2012 from David Murdock's company, Castle & Cooke.
Along with a sprawling beachfront estate, that property purchase also included the five-star Four Seasons Resort Lānaʻi where rooms start at $1,613 per night.
More recently, Ellison splashed out an eye-watering $173million in 2022 on a vast 33-bedroom, 38-bathroom palace in Manalapan, Florida – to date, the most expensive property sale in the history of the state.
The estate, which sits approximately 13 miles north of ritzy Palm Beach, also includes a seven-acre nature reserve.
And Ellison – and his fifth wife – are clearly planning to spend more time there. Zhu, now a US citizen, is registered to vote from the property.
She and her husband signed up in April 2023, both as independents, on the same day.
