Is Jordan Belfort Still Married to Naomi?

Jordan Belfort, the self-proclaimed “Wolf of Wall Street,” lived a lavish lifestyle filled with money, drugs, and women as he defrauded investors out of millions of dollars in the 1990s. His criminal exploits and over-the-top antics were immortalized in the 2013 Martin Scorsese film starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

In the movie, DiCaprio’s Belfort character is married to a blonde bombshell trophy wife named Naomi, played by Margot Robbie. Their tumultuous relationship, from the crazy highs to the brutal lows fueled by Belfort’s chronic womanizing and extensive drug abuse, is featured prominently. This has led many viewers to wonder—is Jordan Belfort still married to Naomi in real life?

Who is the Real Naomi in Jordan Belfort’s Life?

In his memoirs and interviews, the real Jordan Belfort confirms that Naomi is based on his actual first wife, Denise Lombardo. They met when he was struggling to establish his brokerage firm Stratton Oakmont and were married from 1985 to 1991.

“In the film she’s called Naomi, but in real life her name is Denise,” Belfort told The Guardian in 2014.

So while Naomi in the movie embodies some traits of the real Denise, she is ultimately a fictionalized character.

Belfort and Denise had two children together but their marriage deteriorated as his business and drug use spiraled out of control. After a series of infidelities, lavish spending, and violent episodes, Denise divorced Belfort in 1991.

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Who is Jordan Belfort’s Current Wife?

Following his divorce from Denise, Belfort began dating former model Nadine Caridi. She became his second wife after they married in 1991.

In the film, Nadine Caridi is essentially represented by the Naomi character during Belfort’s stratospheric rise and catastrophic fall. But in real life, Nadine Caridi is not the same person as Denise Lombardo, Belfort’s first wife.

Nadine was by Jordan’s side as he took Stratton Oakmont public and amassed his fortune in the 1990s. However, his chronic infidelity, addiction issues, and indictment for securities fraud took a toll on their marriage.

“I was focused on the business, on the money, on partying. I took my wife and family for granted,” Belfort admitted in an interview.

The real Belfort and Nadine Caridi divorced in 2005 after he served 22 months in prison for his fraudulent activities.

So to answer the key question—no, Jordan Belfort is not still married to Naomi, aka his first wife Denise Lombardo.

Who is Nadine Caridi Married to Now?

After her bitter divorce from Belfort, Nadine Caridi picked up the pieces and moved on with her life.

She remarried businessman John Macaluso in 2011. The couple divides their time between luxury homes in Santa Monica, California and Trancoso, Brazil along with their pet dogs.

Nadine also went back to school during this period. She earned a doctorate in clinical psychology and became a licensed marriage and family therapist.

Ironically, given her tumultuous marriage to Belfort, Nadine now counsels couples to help them achieve healthy, supportive relationships. She runs a private practice in California where she puts her education and life experience to use helping her patients.

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How Accurate is Jordan Belfort’s First Marriage Portrayed in the Movie?

There’s no denying The Wolf of Wall Street took plenty of artistic license in dramatizing Jordan Belfort’s outrageous rise and fall. But it does capture the broad strokes of his dysfunctional first marriage to Denise Lombardo fairly accurately.

In the film, Naomi starts out as a model who attends one of Belfort’s over-the-top parties. He’s immediately smitten with her beauty and she soon becomes his trophy wife.

This lines up with the real life meet-cute between Belfort and Denise. She was a model who caught his eye at a party he threw to woo potential hires. As a struggling upstart, landing a stunning model wife was a coup for Belfort.

“My new wife was a stunner—the kind of girl who came with status in tow,” he bragged in his memoir The Wolf of Wall Street.

The movie depicts Naomi/Denise as a hard-partying accomplice who enjoys Jordan’s lavish gifts of jewels, designer clothes, and luxurious homes. Denise did embrace the opulent lifestyle Belfort provided thanks to his fraudulent business scheming.

But the real Denise drew some lines the movie Naomi didn’t.

“In the film, she’s always asking for more,” Belfort told The Guardian. “But in real life she wasn’t like that.”

The movie understandably amplifies Belfort’s violence towards Naomi and infidelity for dramatic effect. But they echo the real marital problems with Denise that led to their divorce in 1991.

Key Differences Between the Movie and Real Life

While The Wolf of Wall Street is relatively accurate in its broad portrayal of Jordan Belfort’s marriage to first wife Denise Lombardo, there are some key differences between the on-screen depiction and real events:

Movie Naomi is fictional, not a literal depiction of Denise Lombardo. She’s played for sex appeal and drama.
Denise didn’t abuse drugs like Naomi does in the movie. Belfort told The Guardian Denise “never really took drugs.”
Belfort toned down real life domestic abuse for the memoir and film. Denise said in divorce papers he brutally abused her in drug-fueled rages.
In the memoir and movie, Belfort’s drug abuse and womanizing spiral while business booms. But in reality, Denise divorced him before his company peak success.
The movie shows Naomi leaving Jordan after he punches her during an argument on the yacht. Denise actually filed for divorce months earlier.
Denise stopped associating with Belfort after their divorce. Movie Naomi stays entangled with Jordan.
Naomi ultimately reconciles with Jordan. The real Denise never did—they permanently split in 1991.

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Why Does the Movie Depict One Wife When Jordan Had Two?

Sharp-eyed viewers may notice something seems off about the Wolf of Wall Street timeline. Jordan Belfort has a trophy blonde wife named Naomi who indulges in his success. But later in the film, he starts giving lavish gifts to a British woman named Naomi too.

So wait—does Jordan cheat on Naomi with another Naomi?

The reason for this confusing duplication comes down to compressing Belfort’s life into a film timeline. In reality, he was married to two different women named Denise and Nadine during the Stratton Oakmont era the movie depicts.

But the film rolls both wives into one character—Naomi—for simplicity. Margot Robbie plays Naomi throughout the ups and downs of Jordan’s stratospheric rise and humiliating downfall.

Having two separate wives probably would have been disjointed and confusing on film. So thewriters focused the marriage depiction on fictional Naomi.

The British Naomi who appears later is based on Belfort’s real life mistress Nadine Hunt. She’s just another manifestation of “Naomi” in the movie timeline.

This consolidation of wives wraps up Belfort’s love life into one tumultuous package. While not 100% accurate, it works better cinematically for the arc of Jordan and Naomi’s relationship.

Why Did Jordan Belfort and Nadine Caridi Really Get Divorced?

After his marriage to first wife Denise Lombardo dissolved in 1991, Jordan Belfort quickly became engaged to Nadine Caridi. They married that same year and Nadine stood loyally by Jordan’s side during his indictments and the downfall of Stratton Oakmont.

So why after everything did their marriage also end bitterly in divorce?

The core issues that ruined Jordan’s first marriage lingered into his second. His chronic infidelity never stopped, even after Nadine had his child and ignored his mistress. Belfort’s drug addiction also remained strong.

“I was a drug addict and that doesn’t just go away,” Belfort admitted after his crimes were exposed.

The final straw was apparently Belfort’s relapse into using cocaine and methamphetamines after leaving prison. Nadine refused to live through that rollercoaster again.

Financial pressures added strain. Nadine had to sell jewelry and her wedding ring to pay living expenses before their divorce was finalized. Belfort’s recklessness had left them broke despite his past billions.

Ultimately the trust between them was broken beyond repair. In 2005, Nadine filed for divorce from Jordan due to “domestic difficulties.” Their messy 14-year relationship joined his first marriage in the wreckage of Belfort’s rampant greed and addiction.

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Does Jordan Belfort Have a Good Relationship with His Ex-Wives Now?

Considering the acrimonious way both his marriages ended, Jordan Belfort unsurprisingly does not have an active relationship with ex-wives Denise Lombardo or Nadine Caridi today.

Denise in particular wanted no contact after their divorce in 1991. She moved on with her life and didn’t look back.

Nadine has said she struggled for years after her divorce from Belfort, who left her “financially destitute” with barely enough money to pay rent. It was only her new marriage to John Macaluso that restored her lifestyle and happiness.

But there seems to be little lasting animosity on either side. In interviews, Belfort has expressed regret for his irresponsible and unfaithful actions during both marriages. He ruined the relationships through his own terrible choices.

For her part, Nadine told Australian magazine Women’s Weekly about her new life, “I’ve moved on and forgave Jordan years ago.”

The exes don’t have an active friendship or contact today. But they appear to have found peace finally after the tumultuous events surrounding Jordan’s rise and fall decades ago.

Conclusion

The larger-than-life story of Jordan Belfort captured the public’s imagination thanks in part to The Wolf of Wall Street’s sensationalized depiction of his drug-fueled, money-obsessed world. A prominent part of that was his relationship with the flashy, pampered trophy wife Naomi, played by Margot Robbie.

In real life, Naomi represents two different women—Denise Lombardo and Nadine Caridi. Denise was the first wife who enjoyed Jordan’s early success but divorced him as his recklessness spun out of control in the 1990s.

Nadine later married Jordan and stuck with him through his indictments before ultimately divorcing as well. Her patience ran out after one too many relapses and infidelities.

Today, Jordan Belfort is not still married to either ex-wife. His actual first wife Denise shunned him after their split decades ago. Second wife Nadine has happily remarried and become a therapist.

While Naomi in the movie begs Jordan to take her back near the end, neither real-life ex did. But there seems to be an uneasy peace between Belfort and his former flames these days, closing the book on his notoriously wild years.

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