Legendary fashion icon Diane von Furstenberg has responded to an article written by her spouse Barry Diller in which he openly declared his homosexuality. She began by acknowledging another individual who was recognized at the Met Gala on Monday.

The show had honored late Vogue editor-at-large Andre Talley, as well as several other black men who made advancements in the fashion industry.

The late Talley, who passed away in 2022 at the age of 73, had been a longtime friend of von Furstenberg, 78, for over fifty years – a period similar to her relationship with Diller, an esteemed executive who climbed the ranks from the mail room at William Morris to the helm of his own media conglomerate.

On Tuesday, New York magazine published a sprawling op-ed penned by Diller that discussed his relationship with von Furstenberg, whom he wed in 2001.

Diller, 83, conclusively dispelled rumors suggesting that their marriage was a facade to maintain appearances and instead openly professed his genuine affection for a designer recognized for popularizing the wrap dress.

The former Fox exec also revealed he was, in fact, gay – something many believed but was never confirmed until Tuesday.

Von Furstenberg went on to address the story in an interview with The New York Times, after first taking the time to remember and pay tribute to her old friend Talley, who inspired this year’s ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’ theme and exhibit.

‘Many decades ago I met @andreltalley, a young black man who personified style and lived to inspire it!’ the Belgian fashionista wrote over a series of photos of the late fashion journalist.

‘Last night when the Met Gala celebrated their show “Superfine: tailoring Black Style” I know that Andre was looking down from Heaven and thanking Anna Wintour, Vogue, Andrew Bolton, the Met for honoring black style!!!’

She added how Talley  – who was also gay – once worked at the same museum where his exhibit was held when he interned for former editor-in-chief of Vogue Diana Vreeland.

‘I am sorry to have missed the ball being in Venice for my project at the Bienale[sic],’ she added. ‘But I can’t wait to see the show.’

She capped the post with a heart and prayer emoji, before sharing two other vintage photos of the two together.

When reached by the Times, the designer said she did not see the story as Diller coming out, but rather him merely telling the truth.  

‘All I can tell you is Barry and I have had an incredible life, love for 50 years,’ she said, days before her husband is set to publish a memoir.

‘We have been lovers, friends, married, everything,’ she went on, echoing Diller’s piece.

‘And, you know, for me, the secret to honor life, and to honor love, is never to lie.

‘Today, he opened to the world,’ she added. ‘To me, he opened 50 years ago.’

Hours before, her husband of almost 25 years poured his heart out to thousands of New York magazine readers, offering a moving glimpse into his and von Furstenberg’s relationship for the first time.

It discussed how the pair’s early passion was so intense they were once caught having sex by billionaire music mogul David Geffen during a visit his house in the 70s, after he found himself ‘seduced’ by von Furstenberg at a swanky party in Manhattan.

The rest, as they say, is history, with the two enjoying an on-and-off relationship for the next several decades.

During this span, many speculated as to whether Diller was gay – something he himself said he accepted early on in his life, during childhood.

Still, he kept it close to his chest during his rise as a media executive, helped by successful stints at Paramount, ABC, and Twentieth Century Fox.

Diller also wrote how the two continued their whirlwind relationship until the early days of Studio 54, until a fling between Von Fürstenberg and Richard Gere brought it to an abrupt end.

Diller blamed the blowup to his ‘overreaction’ to the romance, which took place when Gere had been filming for American Gigolo. Diller was one of the film’s producers.

Over the course of the next decade, ‘without plot or plan,’ the two reconnected,  eventually growing closer and closer, before rekindling their ‘first ferocious love,’ Diller said.

On February 2, 2001, the two finally tied the knot.

Diller would go on to join the board of Coca-Cola the following year – a position he retains today. 

Diller, at the time, was fresh off being named the chairman of Expedia. Now worth a reported $4billion and a prominent Democratic donor, he still works there today. 

In his piece, he further revealed how, in the years before he and Von Furstenberg met, he had been secretly cruising for men in West Hollywood as a teen.

This was before his professional stock would rise – a dynamic he said led him to hide his sexuality in certain circles. 

Von Furstenberg further told the Times of her years with Diller: ‘We never had to talk about our relationship, we lived our relationship.

‘He’s been private all his life, but not with me,’ she concluded. ‘So for me, it doesn’t feel strange.’