Billionaire's wife revealed as powerful Michigan football donor with alleged role in Sherrone Moore firing

Billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison's sixth wife Jolin has been identified as one of the University of Michigan's top athletic-department donors, according to a bombshell report by The Wall Street Journal.

A 2012 international studies graduate of Michigan, the 35-year-old Jolin told the Journal she and her 82-year-old husband have given roughly $10 million in Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) contributions to the Wolverines since late 2023. Not only did the couple finance the recruitment of star quarterback Bryce Underwood, among other star student athletes, but according to the Journal, she has become a powerful voice within the department.

Even outgoing athletic director Warde Manuel has acknowledged welcoming her input. As he told the Journal in a statement: 'I value hearing from the Ellisons and others who can offer thoughtful advice based on their experience.'

The Ellisons' contributions are well shy of the reported $500 million given to the school by billionaire Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross. But given her husband Larry's net worth estimated to be around $200 billion, not to mention an NIL market that is expected to hit $4.5 billion for the 2026-27 school year, Jolin stands as a pivotal figure in the department's immediate future.

According to the Journal, Jolin isn't afraid to use her influence. When the Wolverines struggled to beat Big Ten bottom feeder Northwestern in November of 2025, Moore reportedly told a colleague that she threatened to pull funding if he remained the head football coach.

And while she denied making any such threat, Jolin did admit to telling Manuel that Moore should be fired if the rumors about an inappropriate relationship with his personal assistant proved to be true.

In December, Moore ultimately did lose his job as head football coach due to an 'inappropriate relationship' with a staffer who was later identified as his assistant, Paige Shiver. Moore was arrested a few dramatic hours later near the woman's apartment and has since been given probation after pleading guilty to trespassing and malicious use of a telecommunications device.

A Michigan spokesperson referred The Daily Mail to the comment it provided to the Journal, referring to Manuel's aforementioned statement. Moore's attorney did not immediately respond to The Daily Mail's request for comment. Larry Ellison declined to comment to the Journal through a spokesperson.

Born in China without much exposure to American sports, Jolin's time in Ann Arbor helped to turn her into a major Wolverines fan.

'I went to my first Michigan football game in Ann Arbor, and for some mysterious reason, I fell in love with it,' she told the Journal.

She also pushed back against the characterization that she is anything besides a Wolverines supporter.

'I'm a fan, not a coach or an investor,' Jolin said. 'I support Michigan because I want the team to win—not because I expect anything in return.'

Remarkably, it was the school's NIL collective that may have revealed Ellison's marriage to Jolin. In 2024, before their wedding had been reported publicly, the Ellisons were thanked in a news release for their help in recruiting Underwood.

The couple now has five children, according to the Journal, which reports that Larry had no known connection to the University of Michigan before marrying Jolin.

Larry also has two adult children from a previous marriage: Paramount CEO David and film producer, Megan. David is currently at the center of Paramount’s $81 billion takeover of rival Warner Bros. Discovery. 

The No. 19 Wolverines are 2-0 under new head coach Kyle Whittingham heading into Saturday's game against visiting UTEP.