Was Jardon Belfort Wife Naomi Lapaglia? Is He Married To Nadine Caridi?

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Was Jardon Belfort Wife Naomi Lapaglia? Is He Married To Nadine Caridi? – The role of Naomi Lapaglia in The Wolf of Wall Street was a breakthrough for actress Margot Robbie. Who could forget the Aussie bombshell holding her own as a tough-as-nails trophy wife? (Bonus points her a full-blown Brooklyn accent.)

But behind the character is a real woman with a fascinating life story. Lapaglia was based on Nadine Caridi, ex-wife of disgraced “Wolf” Jordan Belfort (played on-screen by Leonardo DiCaprio.) Find out everything we know about her—including what she’s up to 16 years after splitting up with Belfort.

What Was Jordan Belfort Most Known For?

Jordan Belfort, 58, is a former stockbroker and convicted felon who detailed his stock market scams in his 2007 memoir The Wolf of Wall Street. The book was adapted into a 2013 film directed by Martin Scorcese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio. It was a commercial and critical success, earning $392 million at the box office and garnering five Academy Award nominations.

Belfort established the financial firm Stratton Oakmont in 1989. He used the business to participate in a pump-and-dump scheme, forcing his investors to put their money in penny stocks and then selling his own shares at an artificially inflated price.

He paid the price for his greed. In 1999, Belfort was indicted for securities fraud and money laundering. The FBI estimated that Stratton Oakmont fleeced investors of approximately $200 million. Belfort’s restitution agreement requires him to repay victims $110 million, but his new career as a motivational speaker has only covered a fraction of the bill to date.

Belfort’s crimes financed a lavish and hedonistic lifestyle. During his reign as a Wall Street tycoon, he indulged in two vices: drugs and women. He was also married twice and is a father to two children.

Who Is Nadine Caridi?

Nadine Caridi, currently known as Nadine Macaluso, is Jordan Belfort’s second wife. She met Belfort at the tail-end of the 1980s while the finance fraudster was still married to his first wife. According to Page Six, Caridi was introduced to Belfort by her own ex-boyfriend, entrepreneur, and race car driver Alan Wilzig.

“Twenty-odd years ago while ‘The Wolf’ was still growing his fangs — I had my first post-college relationship,” Wilzig wrote on Facebook. “At the end of year 2, as friendly-exes I took Nadine to Jordan Belfort’s July 4th Westhampton Beach House party where the two of them met… He left his high school sweetheart wife to marry her; and the rest you can see in the movie.”

Caridi was married to Belfort from 1991 until 1998. She had two children with him: son Carter and daughter Chandler.

Margot Robbie’s role as Naomi Lapaglia was not intended to be a true-to-life portrayal of Caridi. However, the real-life and on-screen wives shared limited patience for Belfort’s antics.

“I was creating a character that was in the same situation that she was in, that lived the life that she was in, but I was by no means trying to be her or portray her at that time,” Robbie told IndieWire.

“When I asked what would they fight about, [Caridi] was like, ‘The drugs. The fact that he was a drug addict… I didn’t care about the hookers or coming home late.’ … She said he would be doing crack in front of their newborn baby. Any mother would divorce their husband for that.”

There’s little info on what kind of divorce settlement Caridi received. However, Belfort gave a clue in 2015 when he spoke to Notable Life.

“Sign a prenup,” said Belfort. “Don’t get yourself in a situation where if you get divorced you will screw yourself.”

Caridi told Ohio news station WFMJ that after eight years of marriage, she and the kids relocated to California with no financial support from Belfort. At 39, she enrolled at the Pacifica Graduate Institute and earned two degrees: a master’s in counseling and a Ph.D. in Somatic and Depth psychology. She since remarried John Macaluso, with whom she has shared a blended family of five kids for 22 years.

Nadine Was Once In Miller Lite Commercials

Prior to being known as Belfort’s wife, or the “Duchess of Bay Ridge”, Caridi had a promising career as a model. Her claim to fame was appearing in a series of 1990 Miller Lite beer commercials. Check out some of the ads for a blast from the past:

Caridi, who went by Nadine Belfort at the time, was newly married when the campaign aired. As a result, she seemed to put future work on the back burner while she focused on being a homemaker and mom.

What Is Nadine Doing Now?

Caridi is now professionally known as Dr. Nae. Armed with her degrees, she works in private practice as a licensed marriage and family therapist and relationship expert. She splits her time between Hermosa Beach, California, and Glen Cove, New York.

She currently runs a mental health YouTube channel called Dr. Nae’s Talking Bar, which showcases “people who thrived after overcoming challenging painful experiences and demonstrate how adversity transformed them, enrich their lives, and help them reach their unique potential.”

We get a sense that Caridi’s personal experience with Belfort informs much of her work. While her ex-husband continues to dodge scandals and rebuild his reputation, it looks like Dr. Nae is in a better place now that she’s escaped the wolf’s den.

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