The cast of Netflix’s latest hit reality TV series, Bling Empire, is a unique one. The elite, super-rich Asian and Asian-American friends living in Los Angeles are more than just their mega wealth. They have plenty of fun that sometimes takes a more dramatic turn. From Kevin Kreider coming to terms with his identity as an adopted Korean-American to Kelly Mi Li’s intense roller-coaster relationship with long-term boyfriend and former red Power Ranger, Andrew Gray, the cast is always dealing with something big.
But there is, mercifully, plenty of silly fun to be had in this lavish series. Most of these glorious moments stem from the wise Queen Anna Shay. Anna, who is the eldest of the cast, learned long ago not to sweat the small stuff. As she told Oprah Magazine, she knows she "was born in a crystal ball with a silver spoon,” (as her mother once told her). But she sees her younger castmates and worries about how serious they take everything. Everyone wants to be Anna, or at the very least, be around Anna. It’s not at all surprising that she has a young, handsome, French best friend. His name is Florent Bonadei. But just who is this young stud? We’re getting into it.
Florent, a client executive at the high jewelry house in Paris, Boucheron, has plenty in common with Anna. Prior to Boucheron, Florent worked for other legendary brands like Catherine Maladrino, Berluti, and Maison Martin Margiela. He spent 2014 to 2017 working as an assistant manager and director for Valentino. But he’s not just a pretty face with some killer threads. Before beginning his professional career, Florent studied at Universite Toulouse 1 Capitole for undergraduate; then, he attended the European School of Economics to earn his master’s degree; after that, he went to the University Paris Nanterre for earn his manager's license. He also earned his "English First Certificate from Cambridge" from the University of Cambridge.
Anna’s not the only Bling Empire cast member to take a liking to Florent. Kane Lim took an interest in Florent as well. At Anna’s Diamonds Are Forever party, Kane asked Florent for his number. Though it’s unclear if anything ever happened between the two, they do follow each other on Instagram. Fingers crossed they see each other again in season 2, because they’d make a beautiful couple.
Finally, there is one more cast member with whom Florent shares common interests. Like the daughter of tech billionaire Ken Xie, Jaime Xie, Florent was a very serious equestrian. In 1999, Florent was named the showjumping champion of France. His partner in showjumping was his beloved horse, Valkyri. Florent first got Valkyri when the horse was 8. Sadly, Valkyri passed away last year at age 33. Florent loved his horse very dearly for all 25 years.
Bling Empire is now streaming on Netflix.
Sources: Stuffs That Matter, Anna's Instagram, Oprah Magazine