Russell Weiner

Weiner is the son of Michael Weiner, better known as conservative radio talk show host Michael Savage, and Janet Weiner. He is Jewish.^[4][5]

Weiner graduated from Redwood High School in Larkspur, California and graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor's degree in political science.^[6] He organized events for the Paul Revere Society and worked as a travel consultant.^[7]

Weiner founded Rockstar energy drink in 2001, and sold it to PepsiCo in 2020 for more than $4 billion.^[3] Weiner is also the founder and CEO of his own company, which is now based in Purchase, New York.^{[citation needed]}

In 2016, he was 494th on the Forbes list of the 500 richest Americans with an estimated worth of $3.4 billion dollars.^{[citation needed]} In 2025 Forbes estimated his wealth at $5.2 billion.^[3]

He co-founded the Paul Revere Society with his father. In 1998, he ran as a Republican for the 6th district seat in the California State Assembly, receiving an endorsement from the president of the NAACP branch in Oakland, California.^[6] In June 1998, Weiner won the Republican primary election by five votes.^[8] His campaign positions included advocacy for Proposition 227, the ballot initiative eliminating bilingual education in public schools, and protection of old-growth forests. He lost to incumbent Democrat Kerry Mazzoni receiving 13.3% of the vote.^[9] After the election, some election posters depicting him were vandalized in an anti-Semitic manner.^[4]

In 2009, Weiner donated $25,000 to the California gubernatorial campaign of Gavin Newsom, who was the Democratic mayor of San Francisco.^[10] Newsom returned the donation and Weiner gave it to charity.^[11]

In 2006, Weiner bought the West Hollywood home of basketball player Carlos Boozer for $10 million.^[12] In 2008, he listed another home there for about $3 million (originally it was nearly $15 million based on replacement costs) and sold it for $8 million in 2009.^[13]

Weiner lives in Delray Beach, Florida.^[3]