‘RHOC’ Newbie Elizabeth Lyn Vargas’ Shocking Monthly Income Revealed in Divorce Court Docs
The Real Housewives of Orange County star Elizabeth Lyn Vargas is a newbie in season 15, and she’s already quite popular. Fans have been glued to her storyline this season which has mostly focused on her readjusting to single life after her recent divorce.
Elizabeth hasn’t been shy about showing off her lavish lifestyle, which includes a $5 million beach house, a Range Rover, and a Bentley. But according to court documents from her divorce, there is no way Elizabeth could be living this extravagant OC life if it wasn’t for her alimony checks.
The ‘RHOC’ star split from her husband in 2017
The newest addition to the RHOC cast is a native of Missouri who is new to the OC. She landed a full-time role on the Bravo reality series thanks to Kelly Dodd. And during the first part of the season, she’s already made a big impact.
As Decider notes, Elizabeth didn’t waste any time dishing on her romantic life, including her failed marriage and her new boyfriend. In 2012, Elizabeth married Norwegian businessman Bernt Bodal, the majority shareholder and former CEO of American Seafoods.
The former couple was actually together for 20 years, but their marriage only lasted five. In April 2017, the couple split after disagreements over having children. The official reason was irreconcilable differences.
According to Screen Rant, Elizabeth also claims that Bodal got another woman pregnant during their marriage. In July, Elizabeth confirmed on her Instagram Story that the divorce had been officially finalized.
Elizabeth Lyn Vargas says she ‘paid an arm and a leg to get divorced’
In her July Instagram Story post, Elizabeth told her followers that she “paid an arm and a leg to get divorced” and to get what she thought she needed. She added that she was transitioning to a new phase in her life, and she was excited.
“You know, I don’t know how I’m feeling today,” she shared. “I’m excited but I’m sad and I – it’s the end of an era – I was with the guy for 20 years. Seventeen years but divorcing for three. Twenty years total of my life and I’m happy but it’s a failure.”
Elizabeth and Bernt didn’t have any children together. She says that during their marriage, Bernt claimed he didn’t want to have kids. She admits that she was heartbroken to see her ex-husband move on and have a baby with another woman.
Now, Elizabeth has moved on herself with her new boyfriend Jimmy. However, they have been taking things slow. Earlier this year, Elizabeth revealed that she and Jimmy hadn’t had sex yet because she was still legally married. In the fall, she confirmed that she and Jimmy had finally done the deed during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
Elizabeth Lyn Vargas had a shocking monthly income before ‘RHOC’
In the 2017 spousal agreement, court docs show that the court Bernt agreed to pay Elizabeth $31,000 per month until “either parties’ death, Petitioner’s remarriage, or until further order of the court.”
“I grew up garbage-can poor. We were country hillbillies. During my divorce, I was depressed for three years on my couch,” Elizabeth said in the RHOC season premiere.
“Over the years I lost myself being married…I just became the bobblehead wife, I could never be the smart, intelligent entrepreneur. I was always going to be the arm candy billionaire’s wife, I could not stand it.”
According to The Sun, the court reached the $31,000 per month figure based on Elizabeth and Bernt’s individual incomes. Before joining the cast of RHOC, Elizabeth earned $1,700 per month compared to Bernt’s $86,955 monthly salary.
The $31K monthly alimony covers Elizabeth’s $11,368.09 monthly mortgage payment on her $5 million Orange County beach home. It also covers the $2,050.08 monthly payment for her 2012 Range Rover and the $2,360.67 monthly payment for the 2012 Bentley.
In addition to the monthly alimony, Elizabeth is also entitled to 37.7 percent of additional amounts on any bonus income and profit distribution that Bernt receives. It should be noted that the former American Seafoods CEO originally fought Elizabeth’s request for spousal support. After six months of negotiations, he agreed to the $31K monthly payout.
New episodes of The Real Housewives of Orange County air Wednesday nights on Bravo.
