What is Sonja Morgan's net worth?
Sonja Morgan is an American socialite, former model, film producer, entrepreneur, and reality television star who has a net worth of $8 million. Sonja Morgan is most famous for being one of the stars of Bravo's reality show "The Real Housewives of New York."
Morgan gained prominence through her marriage to John Adams Morgan, the great-grandson of J.P. Morgan, in 1998. Although they divorced in 2006, Sonja retained her ex-husband's last name.
On RHONY, Sonja is known for her vivacious personality, witty remarks, and often eccentric behavior. She has been open about her financial struggles and her efforts to maintain her luxurious lifestyle post-divorce. Morgan has ventured into various businesses, including a fashion line named "Sonja by Sonja Morgan," a jewelry collection, and a line of prosecco called "Tipsy Girl."
Beyond her reality TV career, Morgan has also appeared in several films, such as "The Man in the Attic" (1995) and "Animals" (2008). She is also known for her philanthropic work, supporting charities like the LGBT community, children's welfare, and animal rights organizations.
Early Life
She was born Sonja Tremont on November 25, 1963, in Albany, New York. She attended the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she earned a bachelor's degree in marketing. She modeled in Paris and Milan.
Marriage To John Adams Morgan
Sonja met her ex-husband, John Adams Morgan, in the late 90s' while she was working as a hostess at the New York City Italian restaurant San Pietro. After running into each other again in Aspen, they had dinner together, and later that night, he proposed to her. They were married a few months later, in 1998. John is 33 years older than Sonja.
John Adams Morgan's father, Henry Sturgis Morgan, was the co-founder of Morgan Stanley. His great-grandfather was J. P. Morgan, founder of J.P. Morgan & Co. He is also a descendant of Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams. He competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, where he won a gold medal in the 6-meter class with the boat Llanoria.
John and Sonja's daughter, Quincy Adams Morgan, was born in October 2000. She attended the University of Pennsylvania. Sonja and John divorced in 2006. Since the divorce, Sonja claims her ex-husband has not paid a $3 million divorce settlement and owes over $300 thousand in child support. She also says John will not permit her to visit any of their co-owned properties.
Reality Career
Sonja Morgan is most famous for being part of the cast of Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York. She joined the show in the third season. Her first episode aired on April 5, 2010. She was introduced and portrayed as the fun-loving single mother on the show who was never afraid to perform a cabaret routine for the cameras. She remained with the show through the 13th season.
In addition to her work on The Real Housewives of New York, she also appeared on the hit Bravo reality series Millionaire Matchmaker with Patti Stanger. On the show, she worked with Patti to revamp her dating life and find true love after dealing with the drama produced by her on-again, off-again relationship with Harry Dubin.
Sonja Morgan wrote a cookbook featuring toaster oven recipes and also had plans to release a Sonja Morgan-branded toaster oven, but so far, nothing has come of that. Sonja has her fingers in many pies as she has also been writing a screenplay about her divorce and thinks it will be released as a book in the future, as well as a clothing line, jewelry line, and various other ventures that are all in the works. She has also recently launched a new clothing line that is being sold under the label Sonja Morgan.
Sonja also created the popular Sonja in the City events to benefit her favorite charities, which include working with children, artists, the LGBTQIA+ community, and animals.
In October 2016, she made her Off-Broadway acting debut in Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man, in which Sonja played the character of a sexually repressed teacher while still incorporating her own signature bawdy sense of humor that RHONY viewers expect from her. In 2018, Sonja continued to perform her comedy routines at Improv Asylum and Cabaret alongside her friend and fellow RHONY, Countess Luann.
Salary
Sonja Morgan made $465,000 per episode of The Real Housewives of New York.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
Bankruptcy
In November 2010, Sonja filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In the filing, she cited $13.5 million in assets and $19.8 million in debts. Approximately $7 million of that debt resulted from a court judgment against her movie production company. The judgment concerned a failed movie project called "Fast Flash to Bang Time," which was supposed to star John Travolta. According to a filing sometime later, the socialite still owned her $9 million NYC townhouse and an $8 million French Chateau in St. Tropez, both free and clear without mortgages. On June 17, 2014, it was revealed that a trustee in the bankruptcy case had sold off the French Chateau for $5.7 million.
Real Estate
In 1998, Sonja and John Adams Morgan paid $9.1 million for a townhouse on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The five-story townhouse is located on a tree-lined street and has 4,650 square feet with five bedrooms, five and a half bathrooms, an elevator, and five fireplaces. Morgan's first floor features hardwood floors and a living room with an office area opening to the ground floor garden. The second floor holds the dining room and a small library. The second-floor kitchen is near the dining room and has mahogany cabinetry, green granite countertops, and a tall row of windows overlooking the backyard. The third floor is the master suite featuring a private sitting room and study, soaking tub and separate shower, and walk-in closets. The fourth floor has a bedroom, gym, a small kitchenette, and two sets of French doors opening to a terrace. The fifth floor has two additional bedrooms with walk-in closets. Here is a video tour:
In 2013 Sonja listed the home for sale for $9.95 million. By 2015, she had lowered the price to $7.2 million. She took the home off the market for a period and then re-listed it for $10.75 million in March 2020. Sonja moved out of the townhouse in 2018 and rented it for $32,000 per month.
At one point in January 2020, Sonja reportedly had an all-cash offer for the property that came in just under $12 million. Sonja apparently rejected the offer as the COVID pandemic became serious and forced her to stay in the home. In July 2022, Sonja re-listed the townhouse, this time for $8.75 million.
Sonja also owns a $1.6 million, two-bedroom high-rise apartment in the Columbus Circle area of Manhattan. The apartment has a small balcony offering birds-eye views of the busy Columbus Circle 12 stories below.
