Jocelyn "Catwoman" Wildenstein Says She Is Broke Ahead Of 2-Part Docuseries On Her Life
Jocelyn Wildenstein, also known as the "Catwoman", has revealed that she is broke ahead of the release of a HBO documentary on her life and a reality TV show. The socialite, known for her extensive plastic surgery, claims that she has not received any income in the past eight years after her late ex-husband's family cut her off from her $100 million annual divorce settlement payment, according to New York Post.
A Financial Crisis
“I have a huge problem with my settlement,” she told The Telegraph. “Since eight years, they have completely cut me off.” The Swiss socialite rose to fame in the 1990s during her highly publicized divorce from her art dealer husband Alec Wildenstein. She received an astounding $2.5 billion settlement and an additional $100 million each year.
However, the family of her husband, who passed away from prostate cancer in 2008, ended the annual payments in 2015, leaving Wildenstein in a dire financial situation. In May 2018, she filed for bankruptcy, stating a checking account balance of $0 although she still had millions of dollars in assets, primarily in the form of properties.
Unfortunately, even her three luxury apartments in Trump Towers were repossessed.
The Desire for a Documentary
Amid her financial troubles, Jocelyn has decided to share her story through a two-part docuseries and a potential reality TV show produced by the team behind "Keeping Up With the Kardashians." With all her money gone, the 82-year-old hopes that these projects will provide her with a source of income and allow her to address the public's curiosity surrounding her life and infamous plastic surgeries.
Jocelyn's fiancé, French-Canadian designer Lloyd Klein, revealed that the documentary is her way of responding to public scrutiny. "Jocelyn wants to tell the story with her own voice," said Klein. She added, "I've never been public. It's not my nature."
Klein expressed his desire to have a movie series on Jocelyn's life, envisioning Jennifer Lawrence as a young Jocelyn and Rami Malek as Alec Wildenstein.
A Tumultuous Marriage and Divorce
Throughout Jocelyn Wildenstein's career, rumors circulated that her ex-husband Alec Wildenstein had encouraged her to undergo numerous surgeries to give her a feline-like appearance. However, in an interview with Vanity Fair during their turbulent divorce, Alec denied having any influence over her decisions to change her face. He described her as "crazy" and stated that she believed she could fix her face like a piece of furniture, despite his warnings that it wouldn't work.
Jocelyn said she decided to end their 20-year marriage when her Alec began openly flaunting his extramarital affairs. She felt that his lack of discretion and his choice to frequent the same restaurants they used to visit together were too much to bear. However, Jocelyn claimed that Alec had planted stories about her surgeries to gain an advantage in the divorce proceedings. He allegedly hired a publicist and paid a plastic surgeon to certify that she had completely altered her face, painting her as the villain in their relationship.
"He put all the blame on my face,” she said. Despite the accusations, Jocelyn ultimately won the divorce settlement and retained her ex-husband's last name.
Looking Ahead
As Jocelyn prepares for the release of the HBO documentary, she hopes that these projects will both provide her with financial stability and enable her to share her side of the story with the public, finally allowing her to address the rumors around her plastic surgeries and her tumultuous marriage.