The moment Anna Shay came on screen in Netflix‘s hit new show Bling Empire, the exorbitantly wealthy and eccentric heiress cemented herself as a star. Worth $600 million, the 60-year-old daughter of billionaires runs the scene of Los Angeles’ wealthy Asian community and has no problem flaunting just how much she’s worth.
Shay was born in Tokyo to Ai Oizumi, a descendent of the Russian aristocracy, and Edward Shay of Pacific Architects and Engineers, but moved to L.A. when she was a child. In 2006, Shay and younger brother Allen sold that empire in an all-cash, $1.2 billion deal, and moved on to living life in high society. A mother to son Kenny Kem, 27, Shay has made no secret of marrying and divorcing four times, claiming all her splits remain amicable.
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Shay told The Oprah Magazine last month that she was initially introduced to Bling Empire by producer Jeff Jenkins, who worked on Keeping Up With the Kardashians. When Shay told Jenkins, a longtime friend, she was interested in working as an assistant on one of his shows, a little extra prodding led her to join his latest production in front of the camera.
“The next thing I knew, I was sitting in front of the camera. I’m really quite shy, so it was hard. I never thought about doing this, especially at my age,” Shay told the publication. When you’re as rich as she is, however, the money doesn’t exactly matter. “It was so confusing when I got the checks. I didn’t know what to do with them. I didn’t cash them, then I got in trouble for not cashing them,” she added. “I have them in a savings account. I’d like to have a party sometime. I don’t think the money belongs to me. I think it belongs to the crew that had to put up with me.”
Shay also is active in philanthropy, serving for years on the George Lopez Foundation, which raises awareness and money for organ donation and kidney disease. She also is active with The Shay Foundation, founded by her late parents, which focuses on music, the performing arts, and education. Now that she’s a reality personality as well, Shay told Town and Country the sky is the limit for her next endeavor. She even told the outlet she was thinking of studying to become a licensed contractor, which fans of the show will connect with her first scene ever on camera. Bling Empire is streaming now on Netflix.
