Peter Thiel Married His Financial Investor Husband in 2017 — He Also Had a Boyfriend Who Died Mysteriously in 2023
Peter Thiel and his husband were married in a surprise ceremony in Austria.
Published Aug. 5 2025, 5:37 p.m. ET
There is a very good reason why billionaire Peter Thiel helped bring down Gawker Media, after he secretly financed wrestler Hulk Hogan's sex tape lawsuit. Back in December 2007, managing editor Owen Thomas wrote a piece for the Gawker blog Valleywag with the headline, "Peter Thiel is totally gay, people". Until this moment, Thiel's sexual orientation was not public knowledge. Thomas always contended that everyone knew Thiel was gay, so this was less of an outing and more of a confirmation.
Thomas left Gawker Media in 2009, but not before dropping a quick story about Thiel's relationship status in April 2008. In it, Thomas noted that Thiel was included in Forbes's list of billionaire bachelors, then wondered if his boyfriend was aware of this. Thiel was dating Matt Danzeisen, a financial investor he reportedly hired from BlackRock Securities. They got married eight years later. Here's what we know about Thiel's husband, who is very private.
Peter Thiel is married to financial investor Matt Danzeisen.
According to Axios, Thiel and Danzeisen got married in Austria in October 2017. This was a surprise wedding ceremony for the guests, who were told they were attending the billionaire's 50th birthday party. In September 2020, a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission lists Danzeisen as the Head of Private Investments at Thiel Capital, with a primary focus on investments in private companies and funds in the U.S. and Asia.
Danzeisen also serves on the board of directors for Trumid Holdings, LLC, an electronic bond trading platform; Artivest Holdings, Inc., an alternative investment platform for retail investors and their advisors; and Coru Holdings Limited, a financial management platform for individuals. He also co-founded Crescendo Equity Partners Limited, which has raised "$550 million throughout South Korea and Southeast Asia in companies with a technology supply-chain focus." This guy is good at making money.
Thiel's former lover took his own life in March 2023.
In November 2022, The Intercept spoke with a 35-year-old model named Jeff Thomas, who said he was in a long-term relationship with Thiel. The subject of the billionaire's marriage didn't come up, but it's hard to believe Danzeisen didn't know about the situation. Thomas told the outlet that he was always trying to push Thiel away from his ever-growing obsession with culture wars. "I don’t side with him on a lot of political things, but I understand him," said Thomas.
The two met at one of Thiel's Coachella parties in 2015 and 2016. Thomas said he felt like more of a "kept man" than anything else. "It was stressful, he wanted me to get the nicest car, the nicest house," said Thomas. "It’s not like I was his boyfriend, really, I was just kind of his friend that was there for him when he needed, you know, whatever he needed." Pretty soon, Thomas was living in a $13 million mansion in Hollywood.
Friends later recalled hearing very little about Thiel from Thomas, who moved out of the mansion and down to Miami a few months before he died. One person told The Intercept that they texted with Thomas the Sunday before he passed. The two discussed her upcoming baby shower.
Thomas's brother shared news of his death in a Facebook post. He died March 8, 2023. It was ruled a suicide, though his agent believes Thomas accidentally fell from a balcony while trying to take a selfie, per the New York Post. His brother said he struggled with addiction and mental health issues.