Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Stripper-Turned-Ponzi Schemer's Wife Diane Passage Will Be On "Wall Street Wives" Reality Show
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 12, 2011
Modified Nov 12, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 12, 2011
Modified Nov 12, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
If you were once a stripper who became a society fixture after marrying an accountant to the stars—only for your husband to turn out to be a Ponzi schemer—doesn't it make sense that reality TV is your next move? Diane Passage, wife of convicted fraudster Kenneth Starr, will appear on "Wall Street Wives," and Pasage told the NY Times that the program will be a "a more intellectual 'Real Housewives.'"
Last year, when feds became suspicious of Starr, whose celebrity clients included Martin Scorsese, Uma Thurman and Al Pacino, they went to his Upper East Side apartment and found him hiding in a closet under a pile of clothes. He pleaded guilty to running a $33 million scam over five years and was sentenced to seven years.
Starr met Passage while she was working at Scores— he dumped his third wife, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, for her. A friend told the Daily News, "The story of Ken Starr is simple. He was one of the world's greatest salesmen whose entire life was turned upside down by his infatuation for a stripper." The couple's divorce is reportedly in the works; Passage only found out that she was Starr's fourth wife when he was being sentenced. The 35-year-old mother lives in a small apartment in Times Square, with her assets frozen due to Starr's fraud.
"Wall Street Wives" is still working on its cast and is talking to various networks. Passage says she told Starr about doing the show, "I mentioned it to him. But he doesn’t get a say."
Tagged
diane passage
kenneth starr
ponzi scheme
reality tv
wall street wives
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
Thanks to Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet and more, the rideshare program is having a moment.
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Published Oct 8, 2026
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
If you're playing tourist in your own town, this is an in-demand option.
By
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
If you're playing tourist in your own town, this is an in-demand option.
By
James Ramsay
What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.
By
Jayson Greene
Inside a photographer's journey to visit every neighborhood in New York City
By
Sonia Rao
Banned books and Winnie the Pooh: October in NYC libraries
By
Alec Hamilton
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .