Jocelyn Wildenstein’s story is as complicated and layered as the surgeries she’s famous for. Dubbed the “Bride of Wildenstein” or “Catwoman,” the Swiss-born New York socialite hit the spotlight in the late ‘90s, not just for her dramatic looks but also for her jaw-dropping $2.5 billion divorce settlement—one of the biggest in history.
The media went crazy over Jocelyn’s divorce proceedings, and she quickly became a tabloid regular. But what followed was a rollercoaster of lavish spending, financial drama, and a reputation that’s stuck with her ever since.
The Tragic Decline of Jocelyn Wildenstein’s Net Worth: How She Went From $2.5 Billion to $900 a Month
Per Celebrity Net Worth, Jocelyn Wildenstein had a net worth of $1 million prior to her death at 84 on December 31, 2024. The socialite went from immense wealth to bankruptcy—having previously claimed she survived on just $900 a month in Social Security income—before passing away in Paris from a pulmonary embolism. After a $2.5 billion divorce settlement and $100 million annually, her fortune dwindled due to extravagant spending, asset mismanagement, and her ex-husband’s family cutting off payments in 2015. Declaring bankruptcy in 2018, she claimed to be broke by 2023.
Back in her prime, Jocelyn Wildenstein was the picture of extravagance. Stories about her spending habits were crazy—$350,000 on a Chanel dress, $10 million on jewelry, and a jaw-dropping $1 million a month on living expenses. Even her everyday bills were over-the-top, like $60,000 a year for phone services and $547,000 for food and wine.
Her divorce from Alec Wildenstein, heir to a powerful art-dealing family, wasn’t just chaotic—it was a full-blown public drama. The two flung accusations and insults in headline-grabbing interviews. On top of that, Wildenstein’s dramatic look was often a target, with her ex claiming she’d had so much surgery to look like a cat that she was unrecognizable—something she still strongly denies.
Despite the settlement, which included a $2.5 billion lump sum and $100 million annual payments, Wildenstein claimed her financial support ceased in 2015. By 2018, she declared bankruptcy, claiming she had no savings, retirement funds, or investments left. Her once-glamorous life, funded by her divorce settlement, fell apart when her Trump Tower apartments were repossessed.
She blamed her financial troubles on her late ex-husband’s family, accusing them of cutting off her payments and ruining her reputation during the divorce. Prior to her sudden passing, she was trying to bounce back with media projects such as an HBO documentary and a reality TV pilot to tell her side of the story.
In recent years, Jocelyn Wildenstein’s life may not have been as over-the-top as it once was, but it was still full of quirks and drama. She mostly lived in Miami with her longtime fiancé, French-Canadian designer Lloyd Klein, and kept a lively, colorful crew around her.
During a visit to a rented house in L.A. for a reality show shoot, the place was pure chaos—personal staff, makeup artists, and leftover party atmosphere everywhere—perfectly capturing the theatrical energy she’s known for. Her notorious tardiness added to the diva energy, with hours of prep pushing everything back. But when she finally made an entrance, she was captivating: graceful, warm, and unexpectedly self-aware.
Marriage, Money, and Mayhem: The Rise and Fall of Jocelyne Wildenstein
Jocelyne Périsset, later known as Jocelyn Wildenstein, was born in Lausanne, Switzerland. Her childhood gave a glimpse of her future interests in art and Africa. Her dad ran a couture atelier, and her mom worked for a divorce lawyer. By her late teens, she had moved to Paris, hanging out with art dealers and wealthy clients while also exploring Africa, a place that had fascinated her for years.
In 1977, she met Alec Wildenstein at his family’s Ol Jogi ranch in Kenya. Their whirlwind romance, featuring dramatic moments, including a lion hunt and eating its heart, showcased their shared love for adventure. Less than a year later, they tied the knot in Las Vegas, starting a marriage that would later implode in the public eye.
The Wildensteins lived a life straight out of a billionaire’s dream. They had homes all over the world, notably a fancy Manhattan townhouse with a shark tank and a sprawling 66,000-acre Kenyan reserve decked out with luxury digs and bulletproof glass. They rubbed shoulders with the elite, owned priceless art, and ran one of the most powerful art empires on the planet. But their marriage hit the rocks when Alec’s cheating became impossible for Jocelyn to overlook. She finally called it quits, kicking off a nasty divorce that tore their family apart.
Jocelyn Wildenstein claims she has to live off $900 social security per month after filing for bankruptcy.pic.twitter.com/uMdWTPJ9tz
— Defiant World (@DefiantWorld) December 29, 2024
The fallout from their divorce hit Jocelyn Wildenstein hard. She lost touch with her kids, Diane and Alec Jr., who went on to live their own lives. Diane, now in her 50s, is in London breeding racehorses, and Alec Jr. runs the Ol Jogi ranch, which is now a fancy resort. Even though Jocelyn had tried to reconnect, she was still estranged from her family, and she blamed it on the tumultuous divorce.
The Wildenstein family’s history isn’t just about personal struggles—it’s been riddled with legal drama too. Alec Sr.’s brother, Guy, got caught up in accusations of tax evasion and art theft, with claims that the family stashed away millions in secret offshore accounts. While Guy managed to dodge the charges at first, he was eventually convicted of tax fraud in March 2024, sentencing him to four years and fining him €1 million.
