Larry Ellison is one of the most recognizable names in the technology industry. As the co-founder of Oracle, he transformed the database software business into one of the world’s largest technology companies and became one of the wealthiest people on the planet. His professional achievements are extensively documented, but his personal life has also attracted considerable public interest, particularly the question of who Larry Ellison’s ex-wife was.
The answer is more complicated than a single name. “larry ellison ex wife” has been married multiple times, and his former wives include Adda Quinn, Nancy Wheeler Jenkins, Barbara Boothe, and romance novelist Melanie Craft. He also married Nikita Kahn, although that relationship is sometimes described differently depending on the source and timeline. More recent reporting has identified Jolin Zhu, also known as Jolin Ellison, as his current wife.
Ellison’s marriages span several decades of his life, from the period before Oracle became a technology giant to his later years as a billionaire entrepreneur. Some of his former wives lived largely private lives, while others became notable in their own fields. His family also includes two children, David and Megan Ellison, who became prominent figures in the film industry. Understanding Larry Ellison’s marriages therefore provides a fascinating look at the personal side of one of Silicon Valley’s most influential entrepreneurs.
Who Was Larry Ellison’s First Wife?
Larry Ellison’s first wife was Adda Quinn, whom he married in 1967. At the time, Ellison was still decades away from becoming the billionaire founder associated with Oracle. His early adult life was considerably different from the world of corporate technology, luxury properties, and global business influence that would later define him. “larry ellison ex wife”.
Ellison and Adda Quinn remained married for seven years before divorcing in 1974. Details about Quinn’s private life are limited, and she has never achieved the same level of public recognition as Ellison. Because of this, much of what is known about the marriage comes from biographies of Ellison rather than from extensive interviews or public statements by Quinn herself. “larry ellison ex wife”.
The marriage is nevertheless important in understanding Larry Ellison’s personal history. It took place before he founded Software Development Laboratories, the company that eventually became Oracle. His relationship with Quinn therefore belongs to the relatively private period of his life before he became one of the most powerful figures in the technology industry. “larry ellison ex wife”.
Larry Ellison and Nancy Wheeler Jenkins
Following his first marriage, Larry Ellison married Nancy Wheeler Jenkins in 1977. Their marriage was exceptionally brief, lasting roughly a year. Ellison had founded Software Development Laboratories in 1977, the same year he married Wheeler Jenkins, placing the relationship at the very beginning of the business venture that would eventually become Oracle. “larry ellison ex wife”.
Nancy Wheeler Jenkins became connected to the early company through her marriage to Ellison. According to biographical accounts, the couple divorced in 1978, and Wheeler gave up her interest in the company for a relatively small payment. This detail is frequently mentioned because Oracle’s value later grew to enormous proportions, making the early financial arrangement historically striking. “larry ellison ex wife”,
However, it is important not to judge a decades-old agreement solely through the lens of Oracle’s eventual success. At the time, the company was still a young business with an uncertain future. The brief marriage ended just as Ellison’s entrepreneurial career was beginning to accelerate, and Wheeler Jenkins subsequently maintained a very low public profile. “larry ellison ex wife”.
Who Was Barbara Boothe, Larry Ellison’s Third Wife?
Barbara Boothe was Larry Ellison’s third wife and is arguably the most prominent of his former spouses because she is the mother of his two children, David Ellison and Megan Ellison. Ellison and Boothe married in 1983 and divorced in 1986. Before their marriage, Boothe worked as a receptionist at one of Ellison’s early technology companies. “larry ellison ex wife”.
Their marriage took place during the period when Oracle was rapidly becoming an important technology company. Ellison’s professional reputation was growing, and Oracle was developing into a significant player in database software. During this period, Barbara and Larry became parents to two children who would eventually establish successful careers in the entertainment industry. “larry ellison ex wife”.
David Ellison became a film producer and founded Skydance, while Megan Ellison became a prominent film producer and founded Annapurna Pictures. Their careers have given Barbara Boothe a continuing connection to the entertainment world even though she has generally remained much more private than her former husband and children. “larry ellison ex wife”.
Larry Ellison’s Children With Barbara Boothe
Larry Ellison and Barbara Boothe had two children, David Ellison and Megan Ellison. David was born in 1983, while Megan was born in 1986. Both eventually developed careers in Hollywood and became successful producers, creating a second major business legacy within the Ellison family. “larry ellison ex wife”.vision productions. His work eventually placed him at the center of a major media business, and his career expanded well beyond the family connection to Oracle. His rise in Hollywood has made the Ellison name prominent in both technology and entertainment. “larry ellison ex wife”.
Megan Ellison followed a different path and founded Annapurna Pictures. She became known for backing ambitious films and working with acclaimed filmmakers. Her career helped establish her as an influential producer in her own right. Together, David and Megan demonstrate how Larry Ellison’s family developed significant professional identities outside the technology business. “larry ellison ex wife”.
Larry Ellison and Melanie Craft
Another major chapter in Larry Ellison’s marital history involved Melanie Craft, a romance novelist. Ellison and Craft married on December 18, 2003, at his estate in Woodside, California. Their wedding received considerable attention because of Ellison’s wealth and because his close friend Steve Jobs served as the wedding photographer. “larry ellison ex wife”.
Craft had established herself as a writer before marrying Ellison. Her career and literary background made her different from some of Ellison’s earlier spouses, and the couple’s relationship attracted considerable media interest. Their wedding brought together figures from the worlds of technology, publishing, politics, and entertainment. “larry ellison ex wife”.
The marriage lasted until 2010, when Ellison and Craft divorced. Unlike some celebrity divorces that became public disputes, their separation did not dominate entertainment coverage for years afterward. Craft subsequently maintained a comparatively private life, while Ellison continued to expand his business interests, investments, and involvement in technology and other industries. “larry ellison ex wife”.
How Many Times Has Larry Ellison Been Married?
Larry Ellison’s marital history is often confusing because different biographies have been written at different points in time. Older sources commonly list four marriages: Adda Quinn, Nancy Wheeler Jenkins, Barbara Boothe, and Melanie Craft. Later reporting includes his marriage to Nikita Kahn, which began in 2015 and was legally dissolved in 2020, and more recent reporting identifies Jolin Zhu as his current wife. “larry ellison ex wife”.
Taking those later relationships into account, Ellison has been married six times. His marriages were to Adda Quinn from 1967 to 1974, Nancy Wheeler Jenkins from 1977 to 1978, Barbara Boothe from 1983 to 1986, Melanie Craft from 2003 to 2010, Nikita Kahn beginning in 2015, and Jolin Zhu in the 2020s. “larry ellison ex wife”.
The distinction between marriage and long-term relationships is important. Ellison has also had highly publicized relationships that were not marriages. Consequently, articles that simply count everyone he has been romantically linked with can produce confusing or inaccurate totals. A careful biography should separate confirmed marriages from dating relationships and other reports. “larry ellison ex wife”.
Larry Ellison and Nikita Kahn
Larry Ellison’s relationship with Nikita Kahn became another prominent chapter in his personal life. Kahn, a Ukrainian-born actress and model, was associated with Ellison for several years. The couple eventually married in 2015, although their relationship had already attracted media attention before the marriage. “larry ellison ex wife”.
Ellison and Kahn separated in December 2016, but the legal divorce was not finalized until 2020. This lengthy period between separation and formal divorce is one reason some older biographies can give confusing information about Ellison’s marital status.
Kahn remained known independently through her work as an actress, model, and animal-welfare advocate. Her relationship with Ellison also became part of the public record surrounding the billionaire’s personal life, although both generally kept many private details away from the public.
Who Is Larry Ellison’s Current Wife?
More recent reporting identifies Jolin Zhu, also known as Jolin Ellison, as Larry Ellison’s current wife. Their relationship attracted wider public attention in the mid-2020s after reports connected Zhu with University of Michigan athletics and referred to her as Ellison’s wife. She has otherwise maintained a relatively low public profile.
Jolin Zhu is an alumna of the University of Michigan, and relatively little independently verified information about her personal background is publicly available. This limited public record has led to considerable online curiosity, but it is important to distinguish confirmed information from speculation.
The couple’s relationship also illustrates how Ellison’s personal life continues to generate interest even decades after his first marriage. At an advanced stage of his career, Ellison remains a highly visible business figure, meaning that information about his spouse and family naturally receives attention whenever it becomes public.
How Larry Ellison’s Marriages Relate to His Business Career
Larry Ellison’s marriages occurred across dramatically different stages of his professional life. His first marriage to Adda Quinn took place before Oracle existed. His marriage to Nancy Wheeler Jenkins coincided with the founding of Software Development Laboratories, while his marriage to Barbara Boothe occurred as Oracle was becoming an important technology company.
By the time Ellison married Melanie Craft in 2003, he was already one of the world’s best-known technology executives. Oracle had grown from a small database company into a global corporation, and Ellison had become one of the most influential entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley.
His later relationships occurred during a period when his wealth and public profile were already enormous. Ellison became known not only for Oracle but also for his interest in sailing, aviation, luxury properties, philanthropy, and the Hawaiian island of Lānaʻi, most of which he acquired in 2012. His personal life consequently received much more attention than it had during his early marriages.
Larry Ellison’s Ex-Wives and His Family Legacy
The story of Larry Ellison’s ex-wives is ultimately connected to a much larger family legacy. His former wife Barbara Boothe is the mother of David and Megan Ellison, whose careers have made them major figures in the film industry. David’s work with Skydance and Megan’s work through Annapurna have created a family presence in Hollywood comparable in influence to Larry’s presence in technology.
The Ellison family therefore spans multiple industries. Larry became synonymous with enterprise software and Oracle, while David moved into film and television production and Megan developed a reputation for producing distinctive, high-profile movies. Their professional paths demonstrate that the family’s influence extends far beyond the company that made Larry Ellison famous.
At the same time, most of Ellison’s former wives have maintained relatively private lives. Their stories should not be reduced to their relationships with a billionaire. Each had a distinct connection to Ellison at different points in his life, while Barbara Boothe’s importance to the family’s public history is especially clear because of her children.
The Legacy of Larry Ellison’s Former Wives
When people search for “Larry Ellison ex wife,” they are often looking for one particular person, but Ellison’s history does not have a single former wife. He has had several marriages, each associated with a different period of his personal and professional development. Adda Quinn was his first wife, Nancy Wheeler Jenkins was his second, Barbara Boothe was his third, and Melanie Craft was his fourth. Nikita Kahn was also his wife before their divorce was finalized in 2020.
Among these women, Barbara Boothe remains especially significant in public discussions because she is the mother of David and Megan Ellison. Melanie Craft also received considerable attention because of her writing career and her highly publicized 2003 wedding to Ellison. Adda Quinn and Nancy Wheeler Jenkins have generally maintained far lower public profiles.
The most accurate way to understand Larry Ellison’s marital history is therefore to view it as a series of relationships spanning more than five decades rather than searching for one definitive “ex-wife.” Ellison’s former spouses were part of different chapters of his life, from his pre-Oracle years to his emergence as one of the world’s wealthiest technology entrepreneurs. Their stories, particularly those of Barbara Boothe and Melanie Craft, remain connected to the broader history of the Ellison family and the remarkable career of the Oracle co-founder.
