Few figures in British business have managed to be quite so simultaneously successful and controversial as David Sullivan. The 75-year-old has made fortunes in publishing, property and football, yet the stories that follow him tend to be rather less wholesome than his boardroom CV might suggest.
Sullivan built his early wealth in the 1970s and 80s through softcore pornography magazines and adult entertainment businesses, earning him the tabloid nickname “king of porn.” At his peak, his publishing empire was shifting millions of copies a month, and he reportedly turned over £300 million a year from the adult industry alone. He’s never been particularly shy about it, either.
His football career spans decades. He co-owned Birmingham City with David Gold from 1993 to 2009, during which time the club won the League Cup in 2011 under their stewardship. He and Gold then moved on to West Ham United, taking joint control in 2010. Sullivan served as co-chairman until 2023, when he sold his stake amid growing supporter discontent over the direction of the club.
Throughout his public life, Sullivan has boasted openly about his sexual history, sometimes in terms that raised eyebrows even in the laddish media culture of the 1990s. He once claimed in interviews to have slept with hundreds of women, often framing it as a badge of success rather than something requiring any particular reflection.
Now, however, the tone has shifted considerably. Sullivan faces serious accusations of exploitative and predatory sexual behaviour, with allegations emerging that paint a far darker picture than mere boastfulness. The claims suggest a pattern of behaviour involving vulnerable women, and the details reported are, frankly, disturbing.
“He presented himself as someone who could make careers happen,” one source familiar with the allegations told journalists. “That’s not romance. That’s leverage.”
Sullivan has not been charged with any criminal offence. He has disputed characterisations of his conduct, and his representatives have pushed back against some of the framing in recent coverage.
What happens next, legally and reputationally, remains to be seen. But with scrutiny on powerful men in sport and media showing no signs of easing, Sullivan’s past seems unlikely to stay quietly buried.
