Since its premiere on Netflix, viewers have wanted to know everything they can about the Bling Empire cast’s net worths and who is the richest of this circle of crazy, rich Asians.
Bling Empire, which premiered on Netflix on January 15, 2021, follows a group of wealthy friends in Los Angeles as they party, fight, make up, and, of course, shop. The eight-episode reality TV series’ main cast members include Kevin Kreider, Kane Lim, Christine Chiu, Kelly Mi Li, Anna Shay, Cherie Chan, Kim Lee and Jamie Xie. Each cast member has his or her own story that they follow through the reality TV series’ first season, from the search for one’s long lost father to working through an on-again, off-again relationship.
Each cast member also has or her own claim to millions (and in many cases billions) of dollars. In an interview with StyleCaster, Kelly, who was the first person cast, said that she came up with the idea for the show after she read Kevin Kwan’s book Crazy Rich Asians seven years ago. “I was like, ‘Oh my God. These are all fictional versions of my friends,’” she said. One by one, her friends were cast as stars on the show, and the rest is history.
But how rich are Kevin, Kane, Christine, Kelly, Anna, Cherie, Kim and Jamie exactly? Who comes from family wealth and who’s self-made? Ahead is what we know about the Bling Empire cast’s net worths.
Anna Shay
Image: Courtesy of Netflix.
Net worth: $600 million
Anna is the oldest, wisest and richest cast member of Bling Empire. The daughter of a Russian businessman and a Japanese aristocrat, Anna revealed in one of her confessionals that her dad never wanted her to work a day in her life, which is how she has enough money to let Kevin go on a Dior shopping spree. Her father is Edward Shay, who founded the company Pacific Architects and Engineers in 1955. The company sells legal weapons and defense technologies, according to Kane. “Her money comes from weapons. Her father sells bombs, gun…” Kane said in a confessional. In 2006, Anna and her brother Allen sold the company for a reported $1.3 billion. According to TV Overmind, she’s worth $600 million.
Christine Chiu
Image: Courtesy of Netflix.
Net worth: $80 million
Christine isn’t crazy rich on her own, but when her net worth is combined with her husband, celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Gabriel Chiu, she’s worth a whole lot more. According to Express, the couple is worth $80 million. Dr. Chiu—who has a clinic in Beverly Hills where Christine is also a managing director—is the 44th direct descendant of the Song Dynasty, which is why they took so long to warm up to Christine. As for Christine, we see her on Bling Empire as a philanthropist and a couture collector from Taiwan. Before her current career, Christine worked in beauty public relations.
Kelly Mi Li
Image: Courtesy of Netflix.
Net worth: $5 million
In the first episode of Bling Empire, Kelly revealed that she was previously married to a billionaire and the two would often spend $400,000 a month on their American Express card. However, after her husband was arrested in 2015 for his part in a massive cyber scam, the couple’s assets were frozen. After Kelly divorced him, she became an entrepreneur and started her own businesses. She also works in production and TV, which is part of the reason Bling Empire got made. According to Screen Rant, she’s worth $5 million.
Kim Lee
Image: Courtesy of Netflix.
Net worth: $10 million
Unlike her friends, DJ Kim Lee is a self-made millionaire. In a confessional, Kane described her as one of the hottest DJs in Asia and even called her “Asia’s answer to Calvin Harris.” Along with her DJ career, Kim is also the host of Yo! MTV Rap on MTV Asia and has modeled and acted in the past. According to Cinemaholic, all of her jobs add up to a $10 million net worth.
Kevin Kreider
Image: Courtesy of Netflix.
Net worth: TBD
It’s unclear how much Kevin is worth compared to his Bling Empire cast members. In the show, Kevin explains that he’s an adoptee from South Korea and grew up with a white family in Philadelphia. After working as a model in New York City, he moved to Los Angeles where he met the rest of the Bling Empire crew. Throughout the show, Kevin explains how he’s much, much less wealthy than his friends, which is why he was so grateful when Anna gave him a Dior shopping spree. (He also revealed that he lives in a $1,000-per-month apartment with roommates.) Along with his modeling career, Kevin is also a life coach and owns his own production company, Taejin Entertaiment LLC.
Kane Lim
Image: Courtesy of Netflix.
Net worth: $20 million
Known as the narrator and comic relief of Bling Empire, Kane is worth $20 million thanks to his family businesses in real estate, shipping and oil. In her interview with StyleCaster, Kelly said that Kane’s family owns the oil enterprise in Asia, which was the reason he was the most difficult to convince to be on the show. (This also explains his massive shoe and clothing collection on the show.) On the show, Kane, who is from Singapore, explained that he took lessons from his family when it came to business and became an investor and real estate developer himself. By the time he was 20, Kane paid back the money his family had loaned him and had already become a millionaire. He’s worth $20 million, according to Express.
Cherie Chan
Image: Courtesy of Netflix.
Net worth: $200 million
Cherie and her soon-to-be husband, Jessey Lee, have a net worth of $200 million, according to Nicki Swift. As she explained in one of her confessionals, Cherie is a former professional singer but quit the music industry because of her mother’s disapproval. She’s also the heir to a denim empire. Jessey, on the other hand, is the heir of a furniture empire. Together, their fortunes are worth $200 million.
Jamie Xie
Image: Courtesy of Netflix.
Net worth: $50 million
Jamie didn’t receive much screen time on Bling Empire, but one of her most memorable moments was when she recalled debating whether to buy a Bottega Veneta bag in tan or mint at a spiritual session with her friends. Jamie, the youngest of the cast, is the daughter of Ken Xie, a billionaire businessman who works in cybersecurity in Silicon Valley. Though Jamie makes some money off her career as a fashion blogger, model and influencer, she confessed that most of her money comes from her family’s trust. She even told Kevin that her apartment costs $19,000 a month. Her father is worth a reported $3.9 billion. As for Jamie, Celebrity Net Worth reports that she’s worth $50 million.
Bling Empire is available to stream on Netflix.
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