Bling Empire star Kelly Mi Li reportedly sued the show’s producer Jeff Jenkins, accusing him of not giving her credit for the show’s concept.
Li filed a complaint on Thursday, April 28, in Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming that she came up with the idea of Bling Empire, as reported by People. Her lawsuit alleged that Li shared the show’s concept in 2018 and worked with Jenkins for months to create the Netflix show.
In the complaint, Li demanded to be named Bling Empire’s executive producer. The suit claimed that Jenkins’ Jeff Jenkins Productions and Bongo, LLC “exploited Plaintiff Li's concept and materials, and entered into agreements creating obligations.”
Claims Kelly Mi Li stated in her lawsuit
Producer Jeff Jenkins is known for producing hit TV shows including Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Total Divas.
Li, on the other hand, is a successful Chinese-American entrepreneur and film producer with an estimated net worth of $5 million. Some of her work credits include Interface, Cypher and The Last Party.
She has sued Bling Empire producer Jeff Jenkins for not naming her the executive producer of the show. She claimed that it was her idea to develop the Netflix show.
The claims stated by Li in the court documents include:
1) Li is entitled to 25 percent episodic fees, a full executive producer fee for each episode she has produced, and a 5 percent annual hike.
The document reads:
“Additionally, Plaintiff Li was to receive contingent compensation in the amount of 20 percent of 100 percent of the Modified Adjusted Gross received and retained from Jenkins for the Project or from any derivative work.”
It continued:
“However, Defendants and each of them failed to honor the obligations and duties owed to Plainitiff and stand in breach.”
2) According to reports, Jenkins and Li signed a one-year agreement in May 2018. However, the timeline would have been extended if the KUWTK producer had brought in a buyer before their agreement expired. Although Jenkins was in contact with Netflix for Bling Empire, Li’s lawsuit stated that “the defendants failed and refused to perform the terms in their agreement.”
Only time will tell whether Li gets her share of remuneration and credit for the Netflix show.
Bling Empire season 2 premieres May 13
After a successful first season, Netflix is set to premiere a brand new season of the reality TV show. It will air on May 13 on the OTT platform.
The series aired its first episode last year on January 15. The official synopsis reads:
"Wildly wealthy Asian and Asian American fun seekers go all out with parties, glamour and drama in Los Angeles.”
In addition to Kelly Mi Li, the remaining millionaire cast members of the show include Kevin Kreider, Christine Chiu, Kane Lim, Kim Lee, and Gabriel Chiu. Season 2 will be seen dealing with the daily drama of rich people and their lifestyle in Los Angeles.