Who Is Les Wexner and Where Is Les Wexner Now? – Many people are talking about the new Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons docuseries on Hulu because it delves deeply into the past of the illustrious lingerie business and its billionaire boss Leslie “Les” Wexner. Wexner is the subject of much speculation, especially in light of his associations with the former businessman and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The film tries to understand why the 84-year-old Dayton, Ohio resident who owned Victoria’s Secret through his business, formerly known as L Brands, developed a close bond with Epstein and stayed close to him for roughly three decades despite claims that Epstein sexually assaulted young women and even stole millions of dollars from Wexner.
It makes sense that you would have inquiries after reading this and viewing the documentary. Les Wexner’s identity and present location are unknown. Here is a summary.
Also See: Where is Les Wexner’s Wife Abigail Koppel Today?
Who Is Les Wexner?
American businessman and millionaire Les Wexner hails from Dayton, Ohio. He started Limited Brands (now Bath & Body Works, Inc.) in 1963 with a $5,000 loan from his aunt and built a massive retail conglomerate.
In Upper Arlington, Ohio’s Kingsdale Shopping Center, he opened his first store, The Limited, in August 1963, selling skirts, sweaters, and shirts. Wexner had set up 100 The Limited locations by the year 1976.
In addition, Wexner would increase his ownership of Abercrombie & Fitch, Express Inc., and Bath & Body Works.
When Roy Raymond, the company’s founder, sold Victoria’s Secret to him in 1982, the modest San Francisco chain was on the verge of quitting the business. Wexner purchased the company for $1 million; by the time it reached its peak value of $7 billion.
The inaugural Victoria’s Secret fashion show took place in August 1995. The runway show, which featured some of the top models strolling in lingerie while donning enormous angel wings, developed into a cultural phenomenon and continued to be held annually until 2018. Managing the fashion displays was Ed Razek.
Sales of Victoria’s Secret began to fall in 2015, and the company held its final fashion show in 2018. Due to shifting customer attitudes and issues surrounding critical figures in the company, including the former Chief Marketing Officer of L Brands Razek, the brand has suffered recently.
According to The New York Times, Razek left in 2019 in response to criticism for allegedly fostering a culture of misogyny and harassment at Limited Brands.
Wexner’s connections to infamous businessman Jeffrey Epstein are examined in Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons.
Federal charges of sex trafficking of children in New York and Florida led to Epstein’s arrest in July 2019. In August 2019, his body was discovered in his cell, and it was determined that he had committed suicide. Wexner has asserted that he was unaware of Epstein’s crimes.
In the early 1980s, Wexner and Epstein met in New York City, and Epstein, after that served as his financial manager until 2007.
Epstein and Wexner collaborated extensively, and Wexner gave Epstein complete control over his financial and economic empire.
Since then, Wexner had come under fire for allegedly doing nothing when concerns about Epstein’s conduct were made. Epstein would pretend to be Victoria’s Secret model recruiter, as mentioned in Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons. In 1993, two senior executives informed Wexner of Epstein’s conduct.
After Episode 1 of Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons, it is mentioned that Wexner was informed about the complaints on one occasion and advised Epstein that doing so was “forbidden from ever doing so again” because it was a “violation of corporate policy.”
Model and actress Alicia Arden made a police report in LA in 1997 alleging that Epstein had sexually abused her while posing as Victoria’s Secret recruiter. As an artist-in-residence on Wexner’s Ohio ranch in 1996, Maria Farmer reported an alleged attack by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to the police.
The end of 2007 saw Wexner and Epstein part ways. The New York Times reports that Wexner withdrew his support 18 months after Epstein was accused of “several counts of molestation and illicit sexual contact with a child” in Florida.
To state charges of soliciting prostitution from a juvenile in 2008, Epstein entered a guilty plea and was ordered to register as a sex offender.
Wexner wrote to the Wexner Foundation in 2019 after Epstein was detained for sex trafficking, claiming Epstein had “misappropriated enormous sums of money” from him. He added, “I would never have anticipated that a person I employed more than ten years ago could have caused such agony to so many individuals,” saying he was “NEVER aware of the criminal activities described in the indictment.”
Epstein committed suicide before his trial had started.
Wexner is a philanthropist outside of business. He co-founded The Wexner Foundation with Rabbi Herbert A. Friedman, which focuses on the advancement of Jewish professionals and volunteer leaders in North America and public officials in Israel. He was a major donor to the Wexner Center for the Arts at Ohio State University.
According to the Columbus Dispatch, Wexner gave the Columbus Foundation $163.4 million.
Who is the Wife of Les Wexner?
Wexner and Abigail Koppel are wed. Sarah, Harry, David, and Hannah are the couple’s four children, according to his Ohio State University trustee bio.
Where is Les Wexner Now?
According to Wikipedia, Les is married to Abigail S. Koppel, and the two have been together since 1993. They live in New Albany, Ohio, a town northeast of his hometown of Columbus, with their four children. Their house is a huge 30-room, $47 million residence designed in the Georgian style. It was constructed in 1990 and occupied about 336 acres.
Les decided to resign as CEO of Limited Brands in 2020 and assumed the position of chairman emeritus instead. Les sold his majority ownership in Victoria’s Secret to a private equity firm for $525 million, and Limited Brands was reorganized as Bath & Body Works Inc. Forbes estimates his current net worth to be around $5.6 billion.
Check out the Hulu-exclusive streaming series Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons to learn more about the thrilling tale of Victoria’s Secret.
