CNN’s Jeff Zucker sells UES pad to hedge funder for $15M

CNN’s head honcho Jeff Zucker sold his five-bedroom Upper East Side apartment for $15.35 million to hedge fund billionaire Michael Steinhardt and his wife, Judith.

Zucker sold the unit at The Verona co-op building at East 64th Street for a discount from his asking price of $17.5 million.

The renovated five-bedroom has a 38-foot wide living room, a private office and library, a chef’s kitchen with multiple dining areas and three working fireplaces.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported the sale but did not disclose the buyer or the price.

Zucker and his wife, Caryn, bought the apartment for $12.3 million in 2007, according to property records. The couple announced their separation in 2018. Caryn Zucker recently paid $8.4 million for a villa in Palm Beach.

The Verona is a 10-story building with only 20 units and views of Central Park.

Michael Steinhardt founded the hedge fund Steinhardt Partners and headed WisdomTree which focuses on exchange-traded funds, or ETFs. He is a prolific donor to Jewish philanthropies and co-founded Taglit-Birthright, which offers young adults a free 10-day trip to Israel.

Steinhardt’s purchase bucks an apparent trend: A number of hedge funders and private equity executives have purchased luxury homes in Palm Beach since the pandemic began. Earlier this month, private equity titan Scott Shleifer paid more than $120 million for the oceanfront mansion at 535 North County Road in Palm Beach, setting a record for residential sales in Florida.

But only a few well-known firms have relocated their entire operations to South Florida. Even the ones that are planning to move their headquarters to South Florida, such as Paul Singer’s Elliott Capital, are keeping offices in New York, according to the New York Times.

Steinhardt was accused of sexual harassment by multiple women who worked at Jewish organizations where he donated money, the New York Times reported in 2019. He has denied the allegations, though he did apologize for “inappropriate” remarks in conversations with members of the NYU community.

The university decided to keep his name on the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, which rechristened the school in exchange for a $10 million donation he and his wife made in 2001.