Ann Lesley Smith

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Ann Lesley Smith
Born
Ann Lesley Krohn

(1956-12-27) December 27, 1956 (age 67)
Ohio, United States
NationalityAmerican
EducationPetaluma High School 1975
Alma materIdaho State University (dental hygiene)
Occupation(s)Journalist, former volunteer prison chaplain, dental hygienist, model, musician
Spouses
John B. Huntington
​
(divorced)​
​
(divorced)​
​
(died 2008)​

Ann Lesley Smith (born December 27, 1956) is an American former radio host.

After working in modeling, Smith was the host of the KFIV Ann Lesley Live radio show. Smith worked as a Christian minister for the Manteca Police Department and the Marin County Sheriff's Office, before returning to journalism.

She was married to Michael Carabello and later to Chester Smith until his death in 2008. She was briefly engaged to Australian-American newspaper magnate Rupert Murdoch for two weeks in late March 2023.

Smith lives on her ranch near Riverbank, California, in Northern California.

Early life[edit]

Born as Ann Lesley Krohn[1] in 1956 or 1957,[2] she grew up in Petaluma, California,[1] and graduated from Petaluma High School on May 21, 1975.[3] She studied at Idaho State University.[4][5]

Career[edit]

After graduating from college, Smith worked as a self-employed dental hygienist.[5][6] Prior to her first marriage,[1] she also worked as a model, a radio journalist and as a singer-songwriter in San Francisco.[4] She ran the radio show Ann Lesley Live[7] on KFIV.[4] Later she volunteered[6] as a Christian minister doing prison chaplaincy[8] for the Manteca Police Department and the Marin County Sheriff's Office,[9] before returning to journalism, working for Rupert Murdoch's newspaper group.[10]

She is the founder of the Angels All Over non-profit organisation that supports people experiencing homelessness.[11][12]

Personal life[edit]

In 1985,[1] at the age of 28, Smith married John B. Huntington, aged 47,[5] a lawyer and philanthropist of the Huntington Railroad family.[4][6][13] The marriage ended in divorce,[6] just before Smith became an evangelical Christian.[1]

In 1988, Reuters reported that Smith pleaded no contest to misdemeanor assault, "a shoving match", at a social gala on a dance floor in the Fairmont San Francisco.[14]

In 1999, Smith married Michael Carabello, a Santana former percussionist.[14]

In 2005, at 47,[15] she married American musician and radio and television broadcaster Chester Smith, aged 74, wedded until his death in 2008.[2][7] The couple released the Captured by Love album in 2005.[16] She was a prison chaplain for the California Department of Corrections when they met.[17][18][19]

Rupert Murdoch in 2015

Smith became engaged to Australian-American business magnate[8] and billionaire[20] Rupert Murdoch on March 17, 2023, in New York City.[8] The couple met at his Moraga Estate, winery in Bel Air, California.[21] Murdoch divorced Jerry Hall seven months prior.[20] The couple had plans to marry in the summer of 2023.[20] In March 2023, author Rhonda Garelick reported on the age difference (26 years) and the imbalance of power between the billionaire and Smith and questioned if the engagement was strategically timed to deflect attention from Murdoch's court case with Dominion Voting Systems.[22] On April 4, 2023, Vanity Fair reported that Murdoch had called off the engagement.[23][24] The split was said to be caused by Murdoch's discomfort with Smith's admiration for Fox News host Tucker Carlson, reportedly referring to him as "a messenger from God";[25][26] the split came three weeks before Carlson was fired from Fox News.[27]

Smith lives on her ranch near Riverbank, California,[17] which has grapes[17][28][11] and olive trees.[16][17][29]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "92-year-old media mogul Rupert Murdoch's next wife is from Sonoma County". The Press Democrat. March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Owoseje, Toyin (March 20, 2023). "Rupert Murdoch is engaged to marry Ann Lesley Smith | CNN Business". CNN. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  3. ^ Petaluma High To Graduate 300, San Rafael Independent Journal, May 21, 1975, Page 5.
  4. ^ a b c d "Widow of Valley broadcast pioneer Chester Smith harnessing the power of talk". Modesto Bee. March 3, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c "Rupert Murdoch's new fiancee: 'Rags-to-riches' story began with marriage into wealthy San Francisco family". The Mercury News. March 21, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d "From Riches to Rags to Redemption: The Salvation of Ann-Lesley Smith". 700 Club Christian Broadcasting Network. January 8, 2010. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Helmore, Edward (March 20, 2023). "Rupert Murdoch to marry for fifth time at 92: 'I knew this would be my last'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c Livesay, Brandon (March 20, 2023). "Rupert Murdoch, 96, Announces Engagement to Ann Lesley Smith, 66: 'I Was Very Nervous'". People. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  9. ^ Brewer, Rick (January 19, 2007). "Volunteer chaplains ready for painfull call". The Stockton Record. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  10. ^ Flood, Brian (March 20, 2023). "Rupert Murdoch finds love with Ann Lesley Smith as happy couple plans summer wedding". Fox News. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  11. ^ a b January 6, 2020, Rags to Riches to Redemption Archived March 20, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, Rotary Club of Beverly Hills
  12. ^ Roberts, Andrea Suozzo, Ken Schwencke, Mike Tigas, Sisi Wei, Alec Glassford, Brandon (May 9, 2013). "Angels All Over Foundation – Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ Ross, Martha (March 21, 2023). "Rupert Murdoch's new fiancee: 'Rags-to-riches' story began with marriage into wealthy San Francisco family". The Mercury News. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Bernstein, Jacob (April 5, 2023). "Who Was Rupert Murdoch's Two-Week Fiancée?". The New York Times. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  15. ^ "Rupert Murdoch's fiancee: Death of rich Modesto husband led to nasty court fight". The Mercury News. March 27, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  16. ^ a b Pinheiro, Bob (August 8, 2008). "Chester R. Smith, 78 – Modesto Radio Museum". Modesto Radio Museum. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  17. ^ a b c d "Chester Smith, My Last Visit". Modesto Radio Museum. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  18. ^ "Religious Services". CDCR Careers. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  19. ^ "California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Employee Reviews for Chaplain". indeed.com. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  20. ^ a b c Ng, Kate (March 21, 2023). "A timeline of Rupert Murdoch's four (soon-to-be five) marriages". The Independent. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  21. ^ Coster, Helen (March 20, 2023). "Media mogul Rupert Murdoch engaged to Ann Lesley Smith". Reuters. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  22. ^ Garelick, Rhonda (March 24, 2023). "The Privilege of a New Start". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  23. ^ Sherman, Gabriel (April 4, 2023). "Rupert Murdoch and Ann Lesley Smith Call Off Their Engagement". Vanity Fair. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  24. ^ "Rupert Murdoch and Ann Lesley Smith call off engagement, according to reports". The Independent. April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  25. ^ Oladipo, Gloria (April 4, 2023). "Rupert Murdoch reportedly calls off engagement after two weeks". The Guardian. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  26. ^ "How Tucker Carlson Inspired Rupert Murdoch To End Engagement". HuffPost. April 12, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  27. ^ Ellison, Sarah; Barr, Jeremy (May 3, 2023). "For the Murdochs, Tucker Carlson became more trouble than he was worth". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  28. ^ Lang, Brent (March 20, 2023). "Rupert Murdoch Engaged to Ann Lesley Smith Less Than a Year After Divorcing Jerry Hall". Variety. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  29. ^ "TV station owner Chester Smith dies". Marin Independent Journal. August 12, 2008. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
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