Fortune, Fame, and Poker Chips: Inside Jennifer Tilly’s $40 Million Lifestyle From Hollywood to RHOBH

With a vibrant presence and a taste for the glamorous, Jennifer Tilly has emerged as one of the most fascinating personalities on the latest season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (RHOBH). But beneath the diamonds and designer goods lies a remarkable story of self-made success, resilience, and an unconventional approach to wealth. As conversations swirl about her net worth—estimated at $40 million in 2025—fans are eager to unravel how Tilly built her enviable fortune and what it reveals about money, fame, and finding happiness.

Jennifer Tilly’s ascent to affluence predates her Bravo reality TV debut. Before joining RHOBH as Sutton Stracke’s friend in season 14, Tilly was already an established star, having earned an Oscar nomination for her role in Bullets over Broadway and a cult following for films like Bride of Chucky. Yet, her talents extend well beyond the screen. Tilly is one of poker’s most formidable female players, boasting a World Series of Poker gold bracelet and an induction into the Women's Poker Hall of Fame. According to The New York Times, she has earned about $1 million from professional poker—a rarity for any player, and particularly for a woman at high-stakes tables.

But it’s her personal life that has caused the biggest ripples on RHOBH. As viewers learned, Tilly’s continued financial windfall is linked to her 1991 divorce from Sam Simon, the late co-creator of The Simpsons. In one of Hollywood’s most lucrative settlements, Tilly secured a percentage of the show's net proceeds. Given the show’s colossal, decades-spanning franchise—encompassing TV, movies, and merchandise—her royalty checks remain staggeringly substantial. As she quipped, “No one thought the show would go on for trillions of years. Believe me, I thank Sam every single day.”

Tilly’s wealth is also rooted in shrewd real estate holdings. As revealed both on RHOBH and in interviews, she owns two neighboring houses in Bel Air—one serving as a “playhouse” for her wardrobe—a beach home in Malibu, and properties in Las Vegas, New York City, and Vancouver. Still, she and poker player boyfriend Phil Laak prefer a simple, sometimes cluttered existence, opting to live in the smaller of their LA homes. Tilly’s candor about the “giant house next door” that rarely sees use, and a haunted Malibu retreat, adds an eccentric charm to her billionaire-lite profile.

Despite her fortune and extravagant trappings, Tilly is self-effacing. “Everything I ever succeeded in, I worked for,” she told The New York Times. In fact, she often pokes fun at her own image: "I have a very small wallet," she once joked to Andy Cohen, "because all I need to put in it is my Black AMEX!" But she remains grounded, reflecting, "I don’t think of myself as rich. But I guess I’m delusional… I do have several properties and a purse that apparently cost $33,000… Yes, there’s a giant house next door, but we don't go there."

Her humility stands out in the world of Bravo. Tilly notes the show’s core appeal hinges on viewers’ fascination with wealthy people who, despite their resources, are not always content. “That is the key to Housewives. Like, 'Wow, if I had all that wealth, I would be happy.' But these people, they're miserable.” It’s a candid observation—one that reveals as much about society's expectations as it does about Tilly herself.

As fans debate whether her $40 million net worth even captures the full extent of her fortune, Jennifer Tilly remains both an aspirational icon and a reminder that happiness can’t be measured in AMEX cards or property deeds. Is she proof that fortune follows hard work and taking chances? Or does her story challenge our ideas about happiness and success? Join the discussion below and let us know what you think!

• Jennifer Tilly
• RHOBH
• The Simpsons