Bling Empire star Leah Qin has revealed she wasn’t paid a cent for her time on the hit Netflix reality series – and was forced to spend thousands out of pocket for her appearances on the show.
The 26-year-old real estate developer, who appeared alongside Cherie in multiple episodes on the show from 2021 to 2022, opened just weeks after fellow star Kevin Kreider revealed he was paid less than a UPS driver for all three seasons.
Leah spoke exclusively to DailyMail.com about the reality of how finances were handled for cast members, explaining that many had to pay for their own parties, wardrobes, hair and make-up, with Leah splashing out ‘six figures’.
‘I didn’t get paid. Not a cent. Zero,” the reality star confirmed.
She stated that due to the rush to start filming, she was given an “appearance release” by Jeff Jenkins Productions, but was unable to adjust the terms before going on camera.
Bling Empire star Leah Qin has revealed she was not paid any money for her time on the hit Netflix reality series
She explained: ‘They gave me a release and then my lawyer said, “Hmm, let’s, let’s talk about this” and they said, “Let’s film first and then we’ll deal with it later”… They implied my contract will be revised later.”
DailyMail.com has reached out to Jeff Jenkins Productions for comment.
All three seasons of the unscripted docuseries that followed the lives of wealthy, materialistic East and Southeast Asian Americans in the Los Angeles area before being shelved last year.
While fans may have expected the show’s extravagant parties to be paid for by Netflix, however, the costs came out of the cast’s own pockets.
Leah added: ‘Our cast had to pay for our own events, you know, their own parties, our own wardrobe.”
In fact, the reality star herself spent “about six figures” on all kinds of costs.
She continued, “For For example, my makeup artist charges me $600 to $800. If you come with me to a location all day it will cost over $1000. For one day.
“I filmed over twenty scenes so you can do the math.”
Leah reflected on how she felt at the time when she had to spend her money and admitted: ‘ At the time, I wasn’t really thinking about making money by being on a reality show. But people should be respected for their work and their dedication.
Leah with the Bling cast – from left to right – Don Morris, Mimi Morris, Christine Alexandra Chiu, Gabriel Chiu, Devon Diep and Kevin Kreider
The real estate developer says she was forced to spend thousands of her hard-earned money for her appearances on the show
“People are throwing themselves out there and being open to the public about their own story. I think we deserve that respect.’
She added, “WWhen you were on the show Empire, you always wanted fashion that was relevant, right? So we bought seasonal fashion and therefore much more expenditure was spent on it.’
Leah added her thoughts on the current battle to ensure reality stars receive fairer pay: ‘I believe that anyone who works hard to contribute to society deserves to be paid and respected.”
As for discussing the pay with other cast members, Leah added, “It’s very hard to understand everyone’s situation, but I hear people talking about it here and there…
“I read the article with Kevin and what he said about the payment is what I heard. In my personal experience, I didn’t get paid for several reasons.”
Her co-star Kevin told DailyMail.com exclusively that he couldn’t afford to buy a car while filming the series due to the criminally low wages.
Bling Empire followed the lives of wealthy, materialistic East and Southeast Asian Americans in the Los Angeles area
Kevin was part of the main cast and made his first on-screen appearance with the late billionaire heiress Anna Shay, who died ‘unexpectedly’ in June after suffering a stroke, aged 62.
The hit show featured an all-Asian cast and followed a group of super-rich Asian Americans as they navigated their way through life.
However, Kevin did not share the same background as his co-stars and was positioned as an outsider who was often treated to lavish gifts from Anna.
“UPS workers were paid more than me, and they have benefits,” he told DailyMail.com. “That’s how little we were paid.”
For context, a UPS delivery driver can expect to earn about $18 per hour, while a package delivery worker in a warehouse will take home a similar wage. The minimum wage in the state of California is $15.50, compared to $15 national minimum wage.
“I heard how much a friend of mine made for a pilot and he wasn’t even the lead, yet he made more than me in an entire season of Bling Empire,” Kevin continued. ‘I worked my butt off for Bling. I mean, I was literally filming almost every day.
The self-made real estate mogul (pictured in June with other cast members) explained that many of the cast even had to pay for their own events and parties during filming.
Leah started just weeks after fellow star Kevin Kreider revealed he was paid less than a UPS driver for all three seasons
‘We had to be available for almost a whole year. I dragged my butt to three six-hour interviews. So if you add up the hours, I probably worked less than minimum wage.”
His comments came after former Love Is Blind star Nick Thompson revealed he is on the verge of losing his house after being paid less than minimum wage for his appearance on season two of the Netflix dating show.
Amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, it was stated in August 2023 that the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists was assisting Real Housewives of New York alumnus Bethenny Frankel and fellow reality stars in their mission to to unite.
Netflix pulled the plug on Bling Empire and its spin-off Bling Empire: New York earlier this year, with Leah blaming “fake made-up drama” for its demise.
She’s now focusing on the future – including her hopes to launch a reality show aimed at self-made entrepreneurs.
The project is currently on hold due to the ongoing strike, but the star will work as a producer.
“My own show is about entrepreneurs,” she said. “They have their drama, but they are leaders. I can’t tell you the cast, but I can tell you that everyone is googleable.”
The 26-year-old is currently developing a new reality series about the lives of entrepreneurs
She continued, “A lot of them are from San Francisco. They know how to handle things. I think this will be inspiring for the audience.
“Right now there are a lot of shows that show the flashy life and money. There are a lot of people whose daily lives are not like that.”
The TV star added: “I grew up with no money and had to struggle to survive. It takes a lot more sweat and effort to get where we are today. I’m going to show some of this.
“It surrounds my life and I will make sure everyone in the cast gets paid. All the people in my show are self-made. They all have an underdog story.
“We’re on a break due to the strike, but we’re looking forward to putting the pilot together. I hope that the pilot will be ready by the end of 2024.’