Even more unbelievable, considering how outrageous Shay seems on the series, is that she spent decades living the high-life on the down-low; her name barely produced any Google search results before BlingEmpire came along. (Or, as costar KaneLim put it on the show, “She’s a really reclusive person.”) So exactly who is this fabulously foul-mouthed, filthy rich member of the uber-elite? Keep reading to find out more.
To know Anna Shay, you must first meet her father
Shay’s later father, EdwardShay, founded a defense and government services contracting firm called Pacific Architects and Engineers in 1955, about five years before Anna was born. According to Lim in Bling Empire’s premiere episode, “Her father sells bombs, guns [and] defense technology.”
What about Anna Shay’s mother?
Town & Country Magazine has reported that Shay’s mother, Ai Oizumi Shay, was part-Japanese and part-Russian. Her family was in the exporting business and she passed away in L.A. in 2015 at the ripe, old age of 92.
Where was Anna Shay born?
In Tokyo, Japan. She lived there until she was about 8 years old before relocating with her family to L.A.
How did Anna Shay make her money?
PAE is where Shay’s fortune comes from. After her father’s death in 1995, her brother, Allen E. Shay, took over as chairman and CEO of the firm, but later sold it to Lockheed Martin in 2006 for a reported $1.2 billion. Allen and Anna presumably split that windfall down the middle, which is probably why her net worth is often reported as $600 million.
So…does Anna Shay work?
It’s been reported that Anna hasn’t worked a day in her life. As she said on Bling, “My father really never wanted me to have a job.” Similarly, she told Oprah Magazine that her mother once told her, “You were born in a crystal ball with a silver spoon.” However, Shay has done charity work, including at the arts-centric Shay Family Foundation, which her parents founded. She’s also served on the board of the George Lopez Foundation, which is dedicated to increasing awareness about organ donation and kidney disease. (And yes, it was founded by famous funnyman GeorgeLopez!)
Is Anna Shay married?
Frequently, yes! She’s got four ex-husbands, although little is known about them.
Does Anna Shay have kids?
Yes, one! Before Bling Empire, 27-year-old KennyKemp was perhaps best known for being one of America’s preeminent collectors of marijuana paraphernalia. In a 2015 BuzzFeed story about the glass-bong market, a then-21-year-old Kemp was described as the “sole heir to hundreds of millions of dollars” and a “passionate stoner” who kept his bong collection “in his mother’s basement." Like his mom pre-BlingEmpire life, it seems Kemp keeps a low profile, with very little info readily available about him online, although he does have an accessible Facebook account. Since that BuzzFeed story came out, Kemp’s digs have apparently been upgraded—again, thanks to his mom. Back in March 2020, before Bling’s debut, Variety reported that Shay splashed out about $6 million to purchase a five-bedroom, six-bathroom Beverly Hills pad that TV star Dr. Phil had bought back in 2007 so that his son, an aspiring musician named Jordan McGraw, would have a place to live. McGraw’s interior decorating style was head-turning, to say the least. Variety described the ambiance as “bizarre” and “overwhelmed by colorful decorative debauchery,” including “a glass-encased gun wall, lavender sofas and angry anime figures.” The outlet also called Shay a “low-profile but wildly wealthy local socialite and philanthropist” and noted that she probably bought the house for the same reason Dr. Phil had, to give it to her son: “It’s a good bet that Shay will not move into this house—she already owns a much larger, fancier estate in an even better part of Beverly Hills. Rather, it seems likely the property was acquired as a gift to her only child, 26-year-old Kenny Kemp, a hardcore cannabis aficionado.”
Where does Anna Shay live?
On Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills. BlingEmpire fans know the place well after Shay infamously hosted an at-home spa day there (which resulted in her “penis pump” getting thrown out a bathroom window). Shay also said on the show that while she doesn’t think the home is “haunted,” she believes there are “spirits” living there—which may be why she put the mansion on the market for $16 million right around the time Bling came out. The five-bedroom, five-and-a-half bathroom home was built in 1926; its former occupants include 1930s Hollywood child star ShirleyTemple!
Does Anna Shay have pets?
On the show, she mentions that she once owned fish and a “pocket monkey,” but that they’ve all died (something she seems to blame on the “spirits” in her home). She also told Town & Country, “When we moved to America from Japan, I had a pet monkey.” The monkey even got its own seat next to Anna on the flight she took when she and her family relocated to L.A.!
Has Anna Shay ever watched Crazy Rich Asians?
Even though BlingEmpire is often described as a reality-TV version of the 2018 rom-com, Shay says she’s never seen it! She told Oprah Magazine, “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? In the world I was raised in, ‘crazy’ is not a good word to put next to the lifestyle I was born into.” Next, find out if Cherie and Jessey are married yet.
