Whoever says they're not courting attention by splurging on a megayacht is lying, and doing so shamelessly. As billionaire David Geffen has found out once more, sometimes that attention is not of the kind he wanted.
As of 2010, David Geffen, billionaire record executive and the founder of DreamWorks, is the owner of one of the world's largest and most spectacular megayachts, the 454-foot (138-meter) Rising Sun. Built as a full custom vessel for another billionaire, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, and delivered in 2004, Rising Sun changed hands in 2010.
From day one, Rising Sun has been a conversation starter, an industry icon, and a controversial luxury asset. All three were obvious last weekend when it became the target of eco-activists as it made its way to dock in Port de Barcelona, Spain, and was defaced with black paint.
According to one report, Rising Sun was in full entertaining mode when that happened. This time, it was hosting a party made up of owner David Geffen and reality star momager Kris Jenner, both of them with their respective partners.
Photo: Lurssen
Activists from an unknown group approached the side of the hull and threw cans of black paint at it. They were later seen holding cardboard signs with "Combustible Fossils" and "Tourism" on them as police officers worked to disperse the crowds. While all this was happening, the billionaire guests onboard were having lunch.
Later that same day, workers from the megayacht descended with buckets and pressure washers and were able to remove the black paint from the hull. That's probably because it wasn't paint to begin with; as we've seen with an incident involving the Oceanco-built Kaos megayacht, another iconic vessel, removing paint from the hull takes a bit more work than just a mop or even a pressure washer.
Rising Sun is said to be one of the most spectacular – and biggest – privately owned vessels in the world. The interior has never been shown to the public because both owners it's had so far could afford to keep it for personal use or, at the most, charter it to privacy-sworn celebrity pals.
Photo: Lurssen
Over the years, Rising Sun has hosted anyone who's anyone, from celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, Oprah, and now Kris Jenner to businessmen like Jeff Bezos and oligarchs from all over the world.
Aside from its reported $300 million value (which could be as much as $590 million if some reports are accurate) and gigantic size, Rising Sun is a symbol of the most exclusive, indulgent, and over-the-top lifestyle. Its status as one was confirmed in 2020, when Geffen used it as the backdrop to a drone-shot social media post in which he was telling the world he was isolating onboard, expressing his hope that "everyone stays safe" as well.
It should come as no surprise, then, that it's being targeted again by those who believe it stands for everything that's wrong in the world today.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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