12 Scandals and Secrets the Richest People Tried to Keep Hidden

When we imagine the ultra-rich, we usually think of luxury cars, private yachts, and endless parties. But beneath the glitter and perfect smiles, many hide secrets that are stranger than fiction. Internet users have shared wild, shocking, and sometimes hilarious stories that reveal the unexpected, messy realities of the wealthiest people.

• I worked as an assistant for a family everyone thought was perfect. One day, they asked me to help with some old files in the attic. I came across a folder with my name on it. Inside were notes about everything I’d said and done, plus a list of people I knew, marked with things like “under observation” and “gone for three weeks.” That’s when I realized that behind all their wealth wasn’t happiness — it was total control. And now I know: I’m being recorded too...
• I worked as a personal assistant for a billionaire. He was delusional. But his wife was something else.
  She would have breakdowns, screaming and crying in her glass office for the whole floor to see and hear. It could be over something as simple as her lunch being late or incorrect. Luckily, I was not her PA; she went through a few of them quickly.
  One time, she was supposed to speak at a company event, but it was raining. I was told that we had pushed her time slot to avoid the rain, so I called her hairdresser, who was doing her hair at a rented mansion. She showed up at the original time anyway and had an absolute meltdown about the rain and mud and her slot being pushed back.
  My boss was angry with me and didn’t want to hear about me calling ahead. I just took it and said sorry. He told me, “Sorry is for losers.” Okay, bro. © Electronic-Run-145 / Reddit
• I’m an electrician, and I worked on the home of a famous professional wrestler. We were adding a 1,200-square-foot bathroom to the guest house on his property. That should give you an idea of how wealthy this guy is.
  The main house was basically a castle—easily 30,000 sq. ft.—and they had six Great Danes that would defecate all over the place. They’d just let the giant piles sit on the marble floors of their ostentatious mansion until the cleaners came every day to clean it up. They’re not the only wealthy people I’ve known like this. © emmett_kelly / Reddit

• I changed some home security equipment for a very wealthy older couple. The wife was incredibly kind, and she would appear totally normal if encountered in the wild. It was the little details in their home that blew me away.
  Everything was handcrafted. They even sent me and my team home with lots of produce from their garden. © jordanr01 / Reddit
• My niece married an absurdly wealthy man. He was quirky in that he did everything possible to hide his fortune. He wears simple clothes, drives a normal car, and lives in a decent but not lavish house. He literally hates his fellow multi-millionaires.
  He told me that when he was really into Formula One, his dad bought him a go-kart track. Long story short, he got really good, won several small championships, and earned a spot in a training camp with some current Formula 1 pros. As soon as they realized he came from money, the trainers and other kids started treating him differently, basically saying he wasn’t good enough and that he would be “paid for” to become an F1 pilot.
  This story repeated itself many times, from Oxford University, where the guy earned a scholarship without paying, to pretty much every business deal, where people tried to take advantage of him simply because he’s filthy rich and can afford it. There were gold diggers, etc., etc. Instead of becoming a cynical version of Scrooge, he and his family hid their wealth. They wanted normal lives and honest human interactions. © Nutteria / Reddit

• He was “divorced” and “married” a second wife. He never divorced his first wife, and his second wife is a mistress he parades around as his wife. His actual wife doesn’t care as long as they’re rich.
  However, she won’t let his second set of kids inherit their joint assets. Therefore, he had to buy his second wife some income properties for security. She’ll be okay, though. © SleepoDisa / Reddit
• I don’t work with the ultra wealthy, but I lived next to one for ten years and only realized it a year ago. They were the nicest neighbors ever. They had a standard suburban house and decent cars, but not flashy ones.
  I only noticed they were gone for 2–3 months when I asked the wife about it. She said she was traveling with her husband to India, Japan, Italy, Iceland, and other places. It turns out he’s the CEO of a massive global company. © Darrksharrk / Reddit
• My husband works in IT for a bank and financial management firm that requires prospective clients to have at least 20 million dollars to invest. When the company was smaller, the owner hosted events at his house.
  At the first Christmas party we attended, I was standing by the fireplace, admiring a large, beautiful painting. I looked closer to see if I could find the artist’s signature. That’s when I realized it was a Picasso. © I_M_The_Cheese / Reddit

• I worked as private staff for a billionaire couple. Every night, they ate dinner in total silence at opposite ends of a 30-foot dining table while a string quartet played live behind them. There was no talking, no TV, and no phones. Just forks, knives, and Beethoven.
  I once asked one of the musicians how long they had been doing it. He said, “Every night. For seven years.”
  The weirdest part? They weren’t even married. They just liked it that way. © OkPerception7337 / Reddit
• My grandpa was a piano tuner. He couldn’t drive due to epilepsy, so family would take him to jobs. One day, dad took him to a job and got talking to the owner. He said the guy lived in the biggest, nicest mansion he had ever seen.
  Everything in the house was crazy expensive. But the owner and his wife were very down to earth and normal. If not a bit rough around the edges.
  Finally, his curiosity got the best of him and dad asked how they made their money. The guy said he used to drive a truck and got tired of needing to carry around bottles of ketchup. That’s how my dad met the creator of the ketchup packet. © blitzbom / Reddit
• My father was a private tutor for high-net-worth parents’ kids. Some of his students had a “fake home” that they would take new friends or potential partners to in order to test their loyalty or find out if they knew about their wealth. © Far-Park1152 / Reddit
• I got a job as an assistant for one of the richest families in the city, thinking I’d be seeing nothing but luxury and generosity. At the first party I attended, I noticed the lady of the house fishing out the priciest hors d’oeuvres and slipping them into her purse like it was no big deal. Curious about what she was doing with them, I quietly followed her. Later, I saw her giving those bites to their dog — a purebred little diva who had her own room with a tiny table and a gold bowl.

Here, you can read the story of our reader whose mother-in-law left her 4-year-old outside.