Friends of the ultra-wealthy reveal their darkest secrets... from tantrums to 'filthy' hoarding episodes
Now, insiders on Reddit have lifted a lid on the shocking behavior of the super-wealthy, from throwing tantrums to being cheap.
It began after one user asked on the social media platform, 'People who have worked for the ultra-wealthy, what are some of their deepest, darkest secrets?'
Over 2,000 people have chimed in, with many former employees and friends of the rich and famous sharing some wild behavior that they witnessed.
One person recalled working for a man who knew the people close to him only loved him for his money - including his own wife and kids.
'I did a personal IT service for an incredibly wealthy guy in Tucson. House overlooking the city from the foothills, eight-foot single pane windows, etc.,' the user shared.
'He had a ranch of at least 40,000 acres in Texas, and most of his money was from oil.
'His biggest secret was that he knew most people only liked him for his wealth, including his present wife, two kids, and two step-kids, and they'd cut ties in a heartbeat if it disappeared.'
Another person claimed that rich people 'are unusually cheap,' as they recalled one wealthy client who had a massive collection of the highest tier wine but served guests at a party cheap alcohol.
'I'm in wine sales and cellar management, and I had a client who had over $10 million in First Growth Bordeaux and Grand Crus Burgundy, and he served $20 Pinot and bubbles (Cava) at his Christmas party for his best friends and celebrities,' they revealed. 'He died with a $10 million cellar.'
One pilot who has flown private jets for 'various wealthy individuals' shared, 'People you would likely never know, they don't exist in the public sphere in the way someone like Bezos does.
'They don't always have some deep, dark thing that is unique to wealth. They're human, and the things, the emotions, the tenancies they exhibit are the same across the entire human spectrum.
'I've come away seeing [that] wealth just makes you more of what you are. If you're mean, you're more mean. If you're nice, you're more nice.'
Someone else claimed that they found that a 'surprising number' of rich people are 'hoarders.'
'A surprising number of them are hoarders. Like… mansion-level filth hidden behind marble gates. Rich doesn't mean clean,' they wrote.
Others spoke about cheating, controversial affairs, and secret mistresses.
One commenter recalled how one the outside, it looked like one rich man they knew had divorced his wife and had remarried.
But behind the scenes, it was a different story.
'He never divorced [the first woman], and [his] second wife [was actually] a mistress that he paraded around as his wife,' the user penned.
'Actual wife doesn't give a s**t as long as they're still rich, but won't let his second batch of kids inherit their joint assets, so he had to buy his second wife some income properties for security.
'She'll be OK, though. He bought her $100 million worth of income properties.'
Someone else claimed that the wealthy often throw tantrums 'like babies.'
'They are petty and will throw you under the bus in a millisecond if it will even slightly benefit them,' they described.
'While I worked [for a successful company], I was screamed at, had things thrown at me, I saw grown men throw huge tantrums
'They do it because they know they will get something out of it. Your work had to be beyond perfection because they would purposely try to find faults to exploit.'
One commenter said their stepfather was part of the ultra-wealthy, and claimed he often tried to buy his way out of situations.
'He believes that money can solve everything, which, to no surprise, it does not,' they shared.
'He has this idea that he can just pay people to either shut up or ignore issues. Including family.
'He has constant arguments with my mom that often involve him completely ignoring the problem and giving her some rather large gift, thinking that it will solve the issue.'
Another claimed the rich only donate to charities to 'hide crimes.'
'Routing all sorts of favors, money laundering, and bribes [through] various 501(c)3s and family foundations and making sure they are photographed at their "charitable" events so everyone sees their "philanthropy,"' the comment read.
A different user also detailed how disconnected they are from 'regular people.'
'That they are painfully detached from regular struggles and genuinely seem to think that their success is tied to meritocracy, even when born into extreme wealth, and when it is earned, they will not accept [that] luck played a factor,' they disclosed.
Lastly, one commenter claimed that many of the ultra-wealthy are 'joyless' and have drug problems.
'This is 50 years ago, worked for dozens of the most wealthy, think $100 million and up crowd,' they said.
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