See full version: The Obamas Reached Peak Vacation on This Yacht
Obama even received a brand new title: that of Instagram Husband. How did the former commander in chief get this new label? It’s from his recent jaunt aboard billionaire David Geffen’s multimillion-dollar yacht, Rising Sun, in which he and Michelle Obama took turns snapping photos of each other on the deck.
The picture that emerged of our erstwhile president (in classic dad attire of khakis and a blue shirt) shows him holding up what appears to be a tablet and dutifully snapping photos of his wife on the 454-foot yacht. It is photographic evidence that he is, indeed, Instagram Husband. Look very, very closely. MIKE LEYRAL/AFP/Getty Images
To make it even better, this all reportedly took place while in the company of other guests aboard Geffen’s yacht, including Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson and Bruce Springsteen, as well as Oprah. Yes, this all happened in the presence of Oprah. The only thing that could make this better is a group photo, and we’re still holding out hope that it could happen.
Billionaire and entertainment mogul David Geffen is in the hot seat this week for a "tone-deaf" Instagram post about isolating on his $590 million yacht in the Caribbean during the coronavirus pandemic, The Guardian reported.
On Saturday, Geffen posted photos showing his superyacht, Rising Sun, in the Grenadines with the caption, "Sunset last night. Isolated in the Grenadines avoiding the virus. I hope everybody is staying safe." The backlash on Twitter was prompt, with people calling his post "shameful" and out of touch, reported Business Insider's Katie Warren. He appears to have since deactivated his Instagram.
It's the same yacht that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was spotted on in the Balearics, Spain, last summer. In a photo posted to Geffen's Instagram, Bezos was seen with his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez; the supermodel Karlie Kloss; and former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein.
And in pre-pandemic times he and his yacht have played host to the rich and famous. Katy Perry, Leo DiCaprio, Julia Roberts, Maria Shriver and the Obamas have basked in the yacht's luxurious interiors and comfortable outdoor spaces. here
The Rising Sun was originally built for Larry Ellison, Oracle's CEO back in 2004. He decided it was too much yacht for him and sold it to Geffen around 10 years ago. Let's put it this way: Luxuryyachts.com estimates that a super-yacht like The Rising Sun can cost an owner who uses it around half of any given year up to $11 million to maintain. Just think of maintenance, staff, and fueling costs. It mounts up fast.
And it's owned by none other than 77-year-old David Geffen. Let's go through David Geffen's particulars. The many times over billionaire founded DreamWorks (with Steven Spielberg), SKG, and Asylum Records. He also founded Geffen Records. Back in the day, Geffen Records boasted legendary acts such as Aerosmith and The Eagles. In case you are wondering, Geffen, forked out a total of $590 million for the yacht. more
The Rising Sun is what yacht-watchers call a "mega-yacht". It's 454 feet long, can accommodate 18 people, and has around 45 staff members. That's 2 or 3 staff members for every guest! What a luxury ride. It even has a basketball court.
And now? Geffen claims that he is self-isolating on the yacht, cruising to exotic places and until fairly recently was posting what some say are elitist pictures of his whereabouts. He's probably down to 20 or 30 staff members these days! It's a tough life for some. Trust us, he's gotten a lot of flack for his posts. More of that later. more
Geffen and Ellison were originally co-owners of the yacht before Geffen took full control of it in 2010. It it is the largest yacht in the world owned by a U.S. citizen. It is not known whether Geffen was on board the yacht when it arrived in Maine, but here’s where a few other billionaires docked their yachts recently: here
The picturesque harbor at Portland, Maine hosts a number of luxury cruise ships in the fall months, but rarely does a privately owned vessel of a similar stature grace its waters. Thus when the world’s 10th largest yacht, David Geffen’s 453-foot long Rising Sun docked there recently, it caused quite a sensation. The five-story, 82-room yacht took up enough space for several smaller boats at the city’s Ocean Gateway International Marine Terminal. Originally commissioned by Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison from Germany's Lürssen shipyard in 2004, the yacht cost about $250 million to build. The Rising Sun features luxe accommodations for 12 people, in addition to 30 crew members, and features a gymnasium, spa, sauna, wine cellar, private cinema and basketball court that converts to a helipad.
Jared Paul Stern, JustLuxe's Editor-at-Large, is the Executive Editor of Maxim magazine and has written for the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, the New York Times' T magazine, GQ, WWD, Vogue, New York magazine, Details, Hamptons magazine, Playboy, BlackBook, the New York Post, Man of the World, and Bergdorf Goodman magazine among others. The founding editor of the Page Six magazine, he has al. (Read More) more