Anna Shay is giving us some serious life goals. This list will make you wish she is your BFF.
We owe show producer Jeff Jenkins a big time for managing to get Anna Shay in front of the camera.
Anna Shay was a show stealer and is undeniably the brightest jewel in Netflix's 'Bling Empire.' The reality series chronicles the lives of Los Angeles' real-life 'Crazy Rich Asians', and fans can all agree that the show won't be as successful if not for Anna Shay.
If you loved her in 'Bling Empire,' you will adore her even more in real life. Here are 10 interesting facts you might not know about the Japanese-Russian socialite.
Talk about who the true Queen is, the 60-year-old Anna Shay has more money compared to anyone in the cast of the reality series. She is the daughter of Edward Shay and Ai-San Shay, both billionaires who gained their wealth in the arms and defense technology trade through Pacific Architects and Engineers, a company Edward established in 1995. The company is the major supplier of the U.S. Department of State.
Anna and her sibling inherited their father's shares in 2006 and sold them for $1.2 billion in cold, hard cash (literally). Anna's net worth is around $600 million. The second richest cast in the series is the denim empire heiress Cherie Chan, with around $200 million net worth.
When Anna agreed to help 'Bling Empire' show producer Jeff Jenkins, who also happens to be a close friend, she didn't realize that she is also going to be on the series. She thought that he was asking for her help behind-the-scenes.
"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," Anna told OprahMag.com
In 'Bling Empire,' Christine Chiu wanted to make it clear that Anna is not the only queen in Los Angeles.
The wife of Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, Dr. Gabriel Chiu, takes a lot of effort to look good. She likes wearing expensive jewelry and often dresses up in Haute couture.
When Anna first met Christine, she found her funny, humble, and interesting. However, Anna couldn't help but notice that Christine has turned more materialistic and always compares her stuff with everyone else. Unfortunately for Christine, Anna is way smarter and richer. Christine and her husband only had $80 million net worth. Comparing that to Anna's $600 million, why even bother competing?
In the same interview with Oprah mag, Anna said it was "so confusing" when she got the cheques from 'Bling Empire.'
"I didn't know what to do with them. I didn't cash them, then I got in trouble for not cashing them. 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," she said.
'Bling Empire' has just recently been renewed for season 2, thanks to the show's enormous success.
In an interview with People, Anna Shay admits she didn't even believe that the reality series will be a big hit.
"I'm very happy for everybody. Did I expect the show to be successful? No. I wasn't even expecting to be in front of the camera. I'm very shy, and I went along with whatever situation was happening. I was just being me. I think the success of the show has a lot to do with how Netflix, Jeff Jenkins, and his production company handled things. It's really thanks to them."
Before 'Bling Empire' Anna Shay used to live a very private life. She now has over 300k followers on Instagram, making her an influencer herself. However, unlike other influencers, she doesn't need any sponsorship at all.
She once told Kevin, "No, I don't get sponsored, call Christine for that," when he tried to return Anna's Dior gifts.
She still doesn't understand the whole sponsorship and influencer culture until now.
“To this day, I don’t understand the concept of this. How could somebody go up and say, 'Can I sponsor this?’ It’s so embarrassing. I just walk away, like, I don’t know this person,” she said in the same interview.
The cast of 'Bling Empire' has been branded as the real-life 'Crazy Rich Asians', but Anna Shay admits she has never even seen that movie.
"I didn't watch it. I was going to say, 'I live it,' but I thought that would be too snobbish. Because how would I know if I didn't see the movie?" she told OprahMag.com.
"In the world, I was raised in, 'crazy' is not a good word to put next to the lifestyle I was born into. I didn't do anything except be born. It's my parents. My dad is from the South Side of Chicago. My mother is from aristocracy. Those two are amazing. They're not here, but they're here. [Cries]. My mother said, 'You were born in a crystal ball with a silver spoon."
The heiress has traveled the world to shop for the finest things, but she has only discovered Target 2 years ago. Now she is a big fan of the mass market store.
"You can buy so many things there!" she told Town & Country.
Anna had a pet monkey she loved so much, she can't bear the thought of losing her.
She revealed to Town & Country that when she and her family moved to LA, she dressed up her monkey to look like a human because she was afraid someone might take it away.
“The stewardess came up and said, ‘What would you like to drink?’ and I said, ‘I'll have …’ whatever it was, and she said, ‘And your friend?’ I said, ‘Oh, no, she's my sister. My sister will have some milk, please.’ I was so scared my heart stopped beating.”
Anna didn't know that her father had arranged everything in advance. Shay laughs recalling the incident adding, “He wanted to see how I would deal with (smuggling a monkey)”
Anna and her friends were once mugged at gunpoint at a drive-through. The not-so-talented robbers took her friends' wallets but forgot hers. She told Town & Country that she jumped out of the car and gave it to them.
"They came back, and I said, 'Here. Next time, three girls equals three wallets'," she said.
Oh, Anna! You are one in a million.
Can't get enough of Anna Shay? Netflix's 'Bling Empire' is coming back for season 2! Read our preview here.
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