A socialite is typically a wealthy and attractive person that is famous for being famous, more or less. Typically the more well-known socialites come from affluent families and are usually born into their great wealth. They then advance their “career” through a variety of different ways (clothing lines, reality television show, etc.). Socialites are an interesting bunch as the mainstream media seems to love them, despite the fact that they don’t really do much. We are all familiar with prominent socialites like Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton, but which ones are among the wealthiest? Here are ten of the richest socialites in the world.
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10. Nicole Richie – $5 to $10 Million
Nicole Richie was born in California in 1981, but unlike other socialites, she was not born into a vast fortune. Rather she was adopted by Lionel Richie, living under that family for the majority of her upbringing. She came to prominence alongside Paris Hilton in their reality television show The Simple Life. The show was extremely successfully and Richie and Hilton became some of the first individuals who were famous for being famous. Outside of her work in television she’s worked as an actress, a fashion designer, and has even written two books. She is estimated to have a net worth between $5 and $10 million dollars.
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9. Dorothy Wang – $10 Million
Dorothy Wang is pretty much your stereotypical socialite. She was born in Beverly Hills, her father is a multi-billionaire, she’s set to inherit most of his money, and she is a star on the reality television show Rich Kids of Beverly Hills. She’s worth a cool $10 million, and more or less spends her time shopping, appearing at exclusive Hollywood parties, and living a luxurious lifestyle.
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8. Allison Melnick – $11.5 Million
From New York, Allison Melnick is another wealthy socialite. She was cast for a role on the reality show The Club which followed her life within the Las Vegas club scene. During the early parts of the 2000’s, she became friends with Paris Hilton and would eventually appear in the reality show The World According to Paris. Allison made most of her money through her various television shows, celebrity appearances, and also owns a bar/club in Los Angeles.
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7. Tinsley Mortimer – $35 Million
Born and raised in Virgina, Tinsley Mortimer is another extremely affluent socialite. Her father is a wealthy real-estate mogul and her mother is a prominent interior designer. She would go on to study at Columbia University, and upon moving to New York, became a prominent socialite. Mortimer was seen at all of the hottest parties in the city and has become friends with other celebrities. She made a few appearances as an actress on television, had her own short-lived reality show, and has created her own fashion line. Tinsley Mortimer is believed to have a net worth of $35 million dollars.
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6. Brandon Davis – $55 Million
With an estimated net worth of $55 million dollars, Brandon Davis is another wealthy socialite who is among the richest in the world. His great wealth comes from his families massive fortune, as his grandfather, Marvin Davis, was a wealthy oil baron who even owned 20th Century Fox at one point. Brandon, like all socialites, is known for his affluent lifestyle and likes to party with the elite of Hollywood.
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5. Kim Kardashian – $85 Million
Kim Kardashian is easily the most popular socialite right now, and is fairly wealthy as well. She was born into a wealthy family and came to prominence as a socialite when she became friends with Paris Hilton. Kim would eventually be a star on the hit reality television show Keeping Up with The Kardashians which has since had many spinoffs. She’s one of the highest paid reality television personalities and is worth about $85 million dollars.
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4. Sale Johnson – $100 Million
Sale Johnson could very well be considered one of the first socialites. She was born into a wealthy and prominent family from St. Louis, and would grow up to become a professional model. In 1977 she married Woody Johnson, the billionaire that owns the New York Jets and the Johnson & Johnson corporation. The two stayed married for a number of years before they divorced in 2003 where Sale was awarded some $100 million dollars.
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3. Sabrina Guinness – $100 Million
Sabrina Guinness is the daughter of James Guinness, the man behind Irelands most popular beer. She is the heiress of the Guinness fortune and is estimated to be personally worth some $100 million dollars. In the past she was known to be dating Prince Charles and she currently works as a television producer for the Youth Cable Television, a charity based out of London.
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2. Paris Hilton – $100 Million
It’s no surprise that Paris Hilton makes the list, as she is easily one of the most famous and wealthy socialites out there. Like the others, Paris was born into great wealth as her family are the owners of the Hilton Hotels business. She would grow up to work as a model, became known within the New York social scene, and then had a few reality shows as well. While Paris was initially a stereotypical socialite, she has since launched a few business and is now very hands on with her organizations, like her fashion and fragrance line.
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1. Caroline Luel-Brockdorff – $400 Million
Caroline Luel-Brockdorff is a socialite and a member off the Danish royal family, which is where a lot of her vast net worth comes from. She lives in London as is known for her appearances at high-profile social gatherings and for dating affluent and famous people like Nicklas Bendtner and Rory Fleming. With her estimated net worth of $400 million, she’s the wealthiest socialite alive.
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