How Much Money Do The Real Housewives Of Atlanta Make Per Episode
How Much Money Do The Real Housewives Of Atlanta Make
How Much Do The Real Housewives Of Atlanta Get Paid

In the case of the Real Housewives franchise on Bravo, fans get to see how extremely wealthy women live (and how they vacation, too). Some of these cast members have made money from other businesses, and they have really high net worths. Nene Leakes gets paid the most out of any cast member who has been on the Real Housewives franchise. As a result, Zolciak-Biermann decided to leave ‘The Real Housewives’, embrace her own fame and start her own reality TV show with her family and husband-to-be called ‘Don’t be Tardy.’ Entrepreneurial Interests. Having left ‘The Real Housewives’ in the middle of its fifth season in 2012, Zolciak-Biermann started building her own brand.

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ByAND/March 29, 2017 8:45 am EDT/Updated: April 24, 2020 8:43 am EDT

Throughout the '90's, the Bravo network mostly aired classic films, art programming, and the ultimate Will Ferrell muse, Inside the Actors Studio, according to Wired. Then, in 2002, NBC bought the little-known cable outlet and plunged its programming straight into the ravenous maw of the reality TV genre with the smash hit Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. The Real Housewives franchise soon followed, and now you can't even click past the channel without stumbling over a five-part reunion show.

Surely a moneymaker for both the network and its stars, the Real Housewives brand has now spawned countless incarnations, including obscure international versions — Hungary and Auckland, really? — as well as spin-offs galore. As of 2017, there have been more than 100 housewives just from the U.S. casts (Did someone get them wet?), but are they all cashing in like their parent company?

Salary reports about the stars range from high to low, but it's clear these women actually earn their cash via multiple side hustles — not to mention, part of the whole shtick is that they're already rich when they're cast. From mega business deals to restaurants, brands, sexy toys, and even marrying into Polish royalty, here's how the Real Housewives really make their money.

Who knew booze paid big bucks? Oh right, everyone.

Bethenny Frankel is a fire-starter on The Real Housewives of New York, but while cameras capture her sometimes turbulent personal life, this Big Apple native earns beaucoup bucks from her businesses off screen. Forbes reported that Frankel stacked $100 million for selling her Skinnygirl liquor to Beam Global in 2011. To sweeten the deal, Frankel negotiated not only an ongoing royalty payment from Beam, but also retained the rights to the brand name. So, what does that mean, exactly?

'It would be great for Beam to sell Skinnygirl shot glasses as a complement to the cocktail,' Frankel told Forbes. 'But they can't. Only I can.' And thus far, Frankel has slapped that label on a bevy of products, like 'granola bars, lunch meats, candies, shapewear, and more.' Has she considered changing the name to Smartygirl, yet? But wait, there's more!

On top of this, Frankel is also an accomplished author with seven books to her name, a nearly constant presence on television all over the dial, and the owner of a real estate portfolio that Donald Trump would not call 'Sad!' Oh yeah, and Forbes also suggested Frankel could be earning anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000 a pop for her sponsored social media posts. NBD. With businesses and side hustles like these, why even bother with television anymore? Naturally, Frankel said it best: 'What's the point of being on TV if you don't have something to sell?'

How Much Money Do The Real Housewives Of Atlanta Make Per Episode

Vanderpump rules the profit sheet

Before Lisa Vanderpump came to America and landed on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, she and her husband, Ken Todd, owned and operated a slew of restaurants. How many? She's not exactly sure, according to AdWeek (via Bustle), who reported that Vanderpump could only peg the number at around 32. Their eatery empire includes Villa Blanca — a glamorous Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills, the trendy nightspot Pump Lounge and, of course, Sur, which is the focus of her spin-off reality show Vanderpump Rules.

Glamour caught up with Vanderpump in January 2018, and reported that although her restaurant empire had shrunk to a meager 26 establishments, she's branched out to many other endeavors, including 'a canine rescue center; a documentary about the Chinese dog meat trade; and a gig as editor-in-chief of Beverly Hills magazine.' Asked by The Daily Dish about the latter, Vanderpump said she was 'thrilled' to to helm her 'favorite publication,' in part, because it 'has always been the epitome of luxury.'

And speaking of luxury, Vanderpump also launched a line of barware, which includes this $165 pearl-and-crystal-encrusted bottle cooler, because nothing says class like an ice bucket that looks like it was pulled out of a shipwreck. Anyway, this all adds up to a jaw-dropping $75 million dollar net worth for the British import who took Beverly Hills by storm.

There are no Leakes in Nene's bank account

NeNe Leakes is the fire that kept The Real Housewives of Atlanta hot for years, but when she's wasn't on the small screen causing drama and fighting with her fellow Georgia peaches, she was busy building a mini empire. Leakes is a self-proclaimed 'rich b***h,' but where did her money come from?

Well, for starters, Leakes parlayed her reality fame into a starring role on the scripted NBC sitcom The New Normal. That show only lasted one season, but it led to a recurring role on Glee, where she played coach Roz Washington, appearing in 13 episodes over three years.

In addition to those Hollywood bonafides, Leakes also became a successful fashionista with her Home Shopping Network (HSN) clothing line that she launched in 2014 to 'sell-out success,' according to BET. In her desire to cater to 'women of all ages, all shapes, all sizes,' Leakes told Madame Noire, 'My motto was, for every woman to walk into her closet, walk out of her closet and own it. I just want them to own it.'

Rounding out her side hustle line up with the obligatory book deal, production company, and plethora of other TV appearances, Leakes clocks in, as of this writing, with a weave-spinning $14 million net worth.

A booming business empire that's as sweet as Kandi

Kandi Burruss is a true Renaissance woman. Although she's most known for her role on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Burruss was once part of the all-girl '90s R&B group Xscape. She's also an accomplished songwriter who has written tunes for Mariah Carey, TLC, Destiny's Child, and Ed Sheeran. In fact, she penned Sheeran's 2017 smash hit, 'Shape of You,' which broke a record for its 33-week reign atop Billboard's Hot 100 chart and earned the ginger crooner a Grammy. Any guesses on what those song royalties pay?

Burruss stays busy outside of the booth as well. In 2009, she launched a clothing store called TAGS Boutique, which has grown to multiple locations. She also runs Bedroom Kandi, the in-home demo company that specializes in adult toys. (Think: Your mom's Tupperware parties from the '80s, but with the blinds drawn much tighter.) And because that surely made you hungry — Burruss also owns an Atlanta restaurant called Old Lady Gang, which she claims is so successful that the 'line stays down the street.' As of April 2018, she was already working on opening a second location, according to The Daily Dish.

'Anybody can build a business, but to keep it going is the real success,' Burruss told Forbes in 2017. 'I've established a really solid team, and we've built a real foundation that is continuing to grow and expand in more ways than we could have imagined.'

Is Ramona Singer's self-made empire a house of cards?

Ramona Singer has been on The Real Housewives of New York since day one, and she basically hasn't stopped talking about her supposedly self-made business empire ever since. To her credit, she does have a diverse — if not predictable for these ladies — string of endeavors, including a fashion line, jewelry, her own brand of pinot grigio,