Here's What Griselda Blanco's Sole Surviving Son Michael Is Doing Now
Griselda Blanco may have run a complex drug trading operation, but her true pride and joy were her four sons. Unfortunately, three tragically lost their lives due to their ties to their mom's drug business. Michael Corleone Blanco is reportedly Griselda's only surviving son, and you might be shocked to discover what he's up to now.
Griselda's life of crime started at an early age but truly expanded when she began drug trafficking in the 1970s. She was good at what she did and was even dubbed several nicknames, from "Black Widow" to the "Godmother of Cocaine," it seemed nothing came between her and the business. Michael recalled growing up in this toxic environment during an appearance on VH1's "Cartel Crew" in 2019. He shared, "Since I was a kid, I was taught to get money and hide. Hide to survive because there is people out there that want to murder you. I grew up in this mindstate that that was normal s**t."
Despite how he grew up, Michael had love and respect for his mother. As he explained to Mirror, "My mother was no saint. She had to survive to do her thing. But at the end of the day, she was my mother. I will forever honor and respect her. I love her.'" Griselda was eventually caught, and once released from prison, she was reportedly assassinated by her enemies. After her death, Michael left the drug trafficking world behind and instead created a path of his own.
Michael Corleone Blanco started a clothing brand
Griselda Blanco launched a clothing import business as a front for her drug smuggling operations. Her son, Michael Blanco, later entered the fashion industry, too, but he left the drug business out of the equation. In 2015, Michael launched his clothing brand, Pure Blanco. The son of the famous drug lord founded the clothing line to shed the stereotypes placed on him. He shared, "We are turning a negative into a positive. I want people to understand that not all people who are related to cartel members should be judged for their families," he continued, "Everybody deserves a second chance and this is my second chance to become a regular person."
And if you're wondering what the company sells, the brand's website has an array of men's and women's garments, along with any accessories you might need. Pillows, t-shirts, mugs — you name it, they have it. All of the merchandise is tied to his mother and the lifestyle he grew up with. Some of the t-shirts say, "Boss like Griselda" or feature drug-affiliated words like "Narco."
While Michael has caught some flack for creating a business surrounding his mother's drug trafficking and the murders ultimately tied to that, he doesn't feel he is doing anything wrong. During an appearance on "Cartel Crew," he shared, "I'm not hurting anybody with my products. The foundation [of] Pure Blanco has been all legit money. So, am I not living the American dream by doing this?"
Michael Corleone Blanco sued Netflix
Many have found the story of Griselda Blanco interesting — Netflix included. In 2024, the streaming giant released a fictionalized dramatization titled "Griselda," starring Sofia Vergara as the famous drug lord. The mini-series has been a huge success for Netflix, becoming the "most-watched TV series on Netflix from the week of January 22-28" with 113 million hours watched, according to Men's Health. But while plenty of people are happy to rehash the story of Griselda, Michael Corleone Blanco is not.
Michael attempted to stop the show's release after filing a lawsuit against Vergara and the team at Netflix. The only surviving son of Griselda Blanco claims that he had been doing interviews for over ten years on his and his mother's story, which was supposed to be a catalyst for various companies to potentially create a book or movie. Michael alleges that Netflix showed interest but never spoke with him about creating a show and proceeded anyway and supposedly used information from the interviews he had done. The lawsuit filing suggests the streaming service lifted the family's story and used their images and likeness without any permission from the Blanco family. Despite the effort, the lawsuit did not stop the show from being released and remains an ongoing issue for Netflix.