[FALSE] Is Kevin Kreider, the Korean male model in Netflix’s Bling Empire, worth more than HK$100 million?

A Screenshot of the misleading Facebook post, claiming Kevin Kreider is worth more than HK$100 million.

Outline

• A post on public Facebook page “HK Life” claims that Kevin Kreider, a Korean male model and a cast in the Netflix reality television series Bling Empire, is worth more than HK$100 million. The claim is originated from a report of The Tab, a British youth news website, which said that Kreider is worth US$19 million (about HK$147 million).
• In fact, The Tab report said that Kreider was estimated to be worth US$10 million (HK$78 million). “HK Life” falsely attributed information.
• In an exclusive interview with E! News, an entertainment news media organization based in Los Angeles, Kreider denied the claim that he was worth US$10 million (HK$78 million), saying that “it seems more like a future prediction instead of a current prediction.”
• Therefore, the claim is rated FALSE.

News Brief

On Jan. 24 the Facebook page “HK Life” shared a post which claimed that Kreider, a Korean male model in the Netflix reality television series Bling Empire, is worth more than HK$100 million.

As of the issuance of this report, the post has received 380 comments and 349 retweets.

The Netflix reality television series Bling Empire, released on Jan. 15, 2021, showcases the lavish lifestyles of several wealthy Asian men and women living in Los Angeles. A week after its launch, the reality television series reached the top three most popular shows on Netflix.

Fact-checking

The claim questions: Is it true that Kevin Kreider, a Korean male model in the Netflix reality television series Bling Empire, is worth more than HK$100 million?

The public Facebook page “HK Life” shared an article published on the website U Lifestyle titled, “Kevin Kreider in Bling Empire is a playmate for rich women – a four-eyed man who has become a CEO worth more than 100 million HK dollars.” According to The Tab, the U Lifestyle article published on Jan. 23, claims that Kreider owns a company named Taejin Entertainment LLC and is worth approximately US$19 million (about HK$147 million).

A screenshot of the claim on the website U Life which quotes the report from The Tab.

The report on The Tab website is the source of the “HK Life” post. The Tab is a website covering youth and student cultural news and entertainment. It was established by three students in Cambridge, England, with offices operating in London.

According to the original report published on The Tab, titled “Bling Empire net worths: This is how rich the Netflix show cast actually are,” Kreider, who owns an entertainment company and works as a fitness and nutrition coach, is even richer than some of his co-stars. The report claims his net worth is about US$10 million (about HK$78 million), which is US$9 million less than the US$19 million (about HK$147 million) cited in the “HK Life” post. Even if The Tab’s report is true, his net worth is less than HK$100 million.

A screenshot of The Tab report including Kreider’s response to the rumours.

Further inquiries into the claim reveal that Kreider shared a published report from E! News, a Los Angeles-based entertainment media organization, on his Facebook page. Written in the article with the headline “No, Bling Empire’s Kevin Kreider is not worth $10 million” and published on Jan. 23, Kreider himself denied that he was worth US$10 million (about HK$78 million). The above mentioned Facebook page was verified as Kreider’s official page. Kreider’s social media team claim the post on his personal Facebook page is his official response to the incorrect claims of his net worth.

A screenshot of the shared report from E! News on Kreider’s Facebook page.

In the E! News report, Kevin said in response to the rumours, “I think I’m probably the last person to know I was worth that much. It seems more like a future prediction instead of a current prediction.”

A screenshot of the headline of the E! News’ exclusive report.

Through Facebook and Instagram private messages and emails sent on Jan. 27, we have tried to contact Kreider to inquire about his wealth. We have not yet received a reply at the time of the publication of this report.