Carla DiBello Net Worth

What is Carla DiBello's net worth?

Carla DiBello is an American businesswoman, producer, columnist, and consultant who has a net worth of $50 million. Carla DiBello first became well known as a producer of reality shows like "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" before branching into her own entertainment ventures.

Beyond Hollywood, she has built a lucrative and highly visible career as a consultant and liaison between Western businesses and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through her firm, CDB Advisory. Her company specializes in arranging introductions and negotiations with Saudi decision-makers, most notably at the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the kingdom's $300+ billion sovereign wealth vehicle. Through this role, she has been tied to billion-dollar dealmaking, access to global business leaders, and close connections to figures at the very top of Saudi Arabia's power structure.

DiBello is also the founder of Arabia+, a studio and streaming platform dedicated to authentic Middle Eastern stories, and she has contributed columns to outlets such as Harper's Bazaar Arabia and Arab News.

Early Life

Carla DiBello was born on March 28, 1984, in Sarasota, Florida. In her youth, she became close friends with Anoud Ghazzawi, the daughter of Essam Ghazzawi, a money manager for members of the Saudi royal family, including King Salman. The Ghazzawi family lived in the same gated community in Sarasota, and after the 9/11 attacks, they returned to Saudi Arabia. Later FBI investigations revealed that two of the hijackers had spent time at the Ghazzawi home while training at Florida flight schools. Though Carla had no connection to the investigation, her early relationship with the family would later help her re-enter Gulf circles as an adult.

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Early Life

Carla DiBello was born on March 28, 1984, in Sarasota, Florida. One of her neighbors was a man named Essam Ghazzawi. Carla and Essam's daughter Anoud, who is a few years older, became close. Essam managed money for members of the Saudi royal family, including the King of Saudi Arabia. Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, the Ghazzawi family moved back to Saudi Arabia. Investigators would later learn that at least two of the 9/11 terrorists had spent time with the family while they were living in Florida, taking flying lessons. This connection would become important later in Carla's life.

Producing Career

Carla moved to Los Angeles in her early 20s. One of her first jobs was working for casino magnate Steve Wynn. One of her first jobs was working for casino magnate Steve Wynn, which she has described as an invaluable business education. She later worked as an assistant to film producer Avi Lerner, gradually moving into associate producer credits on projects such as "Black Dahlia," "The Wicker Man," "Home of the Brave," "The Contract," "King of California," "88 Minutes," "The Death and Life of Bobby Z," and "Street Kings."

Her most successful work as a producer involved the Kardashian family. Carla was one of Kim Kardashian's closest friends before the socialite became internationally famous. Carla appeared in several episodes of "Keeping up with the Kardashians" and served as a producer for the show "Kourtney and Kim Take New York," which starred Kim Kardashian and her sister Kourtney. She also produced a season of a reality show called "The Spin Crowd."

Carla ceased working with the Kardashians in 2013 after forming her own production company, CDB.

Kobe Bryant Connection

In 2011, DiBello made tabloid headlines when she was named in reports about Kobe Bryant's marital troubles. At the time Bryant was going through a highly publicized split from his wife Vanessa, and DiBello was alleged to have been romantically involved with the basketball star. The divorce was ultimately called off, but the rumors pushed Carla into wider public recognition.

Photo by Darren Arthur/Getty Images

Dubai and Saudi Arabia

In 2005, Carla helped organize the Dubai Film Festival, an experience that expanded her network in the Gulf region. From there she began traveling frequently to the Middle East and gradually developed a role as a cultural and business intermediary between the West and the Gulf states. She produced projects for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including a documentary about the country's Formula E electric-car race, part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's broader effort to rebrand the country as forward-looking and innovative.

Through her boutique firm CDB Advisory, DiBello arranged introductions between Western companies and PIF, often charging the foreign firms rather than the Saudis. She played an advisory role in PIF's $445 million acquisition of Newcastle United, and she told associates she was involved in talks around a potential $15 billion deal with India's Reliance Industries. She also helped secure a coveted one-on-one meeting for a Juul Labs executive with PIF governor Yasir al-Rumayyan, though no investment resulted.

PIF Access and Controversy

Carla's influence in Saudi business circles has been closely tied to her relationship with Yasir al-Rumayyan, the governor of PIF and a close confidant of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. She has been photographed with both Rumayyan and MBS, and has attended high-level events, including yacht gatherings where she mingled with global figures such as SoftBank's Masayoshi Son and Reliance's Mukesh Ambani. Her access has given her significant clout, but it has also attracted scrutiny. Some PIF officials have expressed frustration at her proximity to Rumayyan, and compliance experts in the U.S. and Europe have raised questions about the optics of companies paying for introductions to sovereign wealth officials. While she has never been employed or paid by PIF, and her lawyers emphasize she only advises corporations seeking entry to the Middle East, the unusual nature of her role has made her a lightning rod for debate about influence, transparency, and global dealmaking.

Arabia+

In January 2021, DiBello launched Arabia+, a self-described "award-winning studio and premier streaming destination dedicated to providing global access to authentic Middle Eastern stories via film and television." The platform showcases regional voices and creative talent while also catering to a global audience curious about the Middle East's modern transformation. Arabia+ represents a natural extension of her dual career—blending her Hollywood production background with her business and cultural ties in the Gulf to create a cross-continental media platform.

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