Inside Patti Stanger's Life Today

Have you ever had tons of money, but had trouble finding love? Since 2000, Patti Stanger has been running her own matchmaker company, Millionaire's Club. She then took this premise, alongside her credentials as a relationship connector, to the small screen and became a star in the process. In 2008, "The Millionaire Matchmaker" premiered on Bravo, and throughout eight seasons, Stanger played the role of cupid for only extremely wealthy and single individuals. She quickly gained popularity for her brutal honesty when coaching her clients — but all in the name of potential love.

The TV show went off the air in 2015, but Stanger didn't slow down one bit, dipping her toes into other money-making ventures. But viewers may want to follow Stanger's "do as I say, not as I do" advice, since she's admittedly experienced her own difficulty in the romance department. Come one, come all, you single fish out there in the sea (and those in a relationship, too). We present to you a look inside Patti Stanger's life today.

Patti Stanger traveled around California to help her high-end clientele while filming both "The Millionaire Matchmaker" and "Million Dollar Matchmaker." Unfortunately, she found herself dealing with a scary situation while taping in Los Angeles. In May 2019, The Blast obtained legal documents that revealed Stanger's lawsuit against the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel, which stemmed from a 2017 robbery. The reality TV star reportedly booked three rooms at the hotel, one for relaxing, another for wardrobe plus makeup, and a third for all of her personal keepsakes — but claimed that robbers carried out a complex scheme and stole at least ten suitcases worth of belongings from this third room. At the time, TMZ reported that $300,000 worth of items had been stolen.

Stanger, who was seeking unspecified damages, alleged that the hotel falsely assured her about security cameras focused on her rooms, claiming that these were merely "decoys" used to "discourage staff from theft." The LAPD eventually dropped the case, despite having caught the suspected thief, because the hotel reportedly didn't obtain necessary evidence.

In a statement to Page Six, Stanger's lawyer said the incident was a dose of cruel reality for the reality star. The attorney continued, "[Stanger] hopes this case will raise awareness to the fact that many of the luxury hotels we think are so well protected and safe ... are often prime targets for large scale theft rings."

It seems only natural that Patti Stanger would have additional pursuits outside of reality TV, particularly given her entrepreneurial skills in running a successful matchmaking business. According to her Millionaire's Club website, the businesswoman has boasted several sister brands and side companies, including a fashion line called Je T'aime — that's "I love you" in French, because does anything say romance and love more than France? The brand has featured just about everything, including custom-made jewelry and clothing with not-so-inspirational quotes like, "With Tequila You Get Babies." Rounding out the collection were a signature fragrance, makeup, and handbags.

Stanger has also been involved with the company, Attracting a Soulmate, with which she's produced audio recordings with purposeful subliminal messages. Teaming up with clinical hypnotherapist Steve G. Jones after studying quantum physics herself, the two have promoted the premise that people unconsciously hold onto negative thoughts, which ultimately lead to missed romantic opportunities. For those inclined, Stanger's voice and music recordings have attempted to guide the listener in changing their mindset and find a soulmate through the science of attraction.

If your entire career is built around matchmaking and relationship advice, it should come as no surprise that people may consider you an expert on these topics. For Patti Stanger, this has meant talking about something we all know and love here at Nicki Swift: celebrity couples. She is often asked to comment on the latest celeb dating and romance news, sometimes about people she's never even met. In a since-deleted feature for The Nest, Stanger gave her predictions on the chances of survival for then-recently-engaged celebrity couples like Prince William and Kate Middleton (a 51% chance is the answer she gave). While speaking with Us Weekly, Stanger even claimed she successfully predicted a few celeb engagements, including the ill-fated romance between Lady Gaga and Taylor Kinney. 

When Amazon founder Jeff Bezos shocked the world with news of his January 2019 divorce from longtime wife MacKenzie, Stanger was of course on hand to share her thoughts on the richest man in the world's dating life. "He's going to take his time to get the next marriage going," she claimed to Page Six, revealing that while she had no doubts the driven mogul would attract potential mates, the trick would be to find people searching for the man and not the money. Stanger added, "But he might play the field a bit."

Love unfortunately hasn't come easily for this dating expert. A year after Patti Stanger split from her longterm boyfriend, David Krause, in 2015, she revealed on "The Wendy Williams Show," "Now I'm ready to get married, and I'm ready to find the one." Part of the reason the matchmaker was still single, she admitted, was her "picky" dating preferences: "I like hot surfer dudes, maybe with a job."

By 2018, Stanger told Steve Harvey on his eponymous show that she was single, but was using popular dating apps, including Bumble and Tinder. However, her thoughts on said apps seem to be mixed. Though she's used them herself and even met her ex on Plenty of Fish, Stanger previously quipped on KTLA 5 Morning News that, in her opinion, the pictures men tend to use (and sometimes send) on these dating apps are "hideous" and "TMI." At the time, Stanger was still waiting to receive an invitation to the exclusive dating app Raya, and later got kicked off OkCupid in October 2019.

Patti Stanger made her on-screen debut back in 2002 while representing the Millionaire's Club on "The Anna Nicole Show." From then on, she typically appeared as herself on various reality TV series and interviews — with a couple grand exceptions. 

In addition to making her acting debut in a 2011 episode of "Drop Dead Diva," Stanger played a reporter in the 2016 made-for-TV movie "Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens." She was part of a long list of celebrity cameos in the Syfy channel flick. (Consider us still reeling from the Emmy snub of this fine TV-movie classic.)

Stanger has also taken her multi-talents to the stage. Alongside Jeff Lewis of Bravo's "Flipping Out," she's performed shows at comedy clubs on the West Coast. In a promo video for an October 2019 show posted on Stanger's Instagram account, the pair advertised their return to Orange County's Brea Improv Comedy Club. In addition to answering live audience questions, the show featured "funny stories that have never been told" and Bravo trivia — not surprising, given their experience on the network.

Patti Stanger of course knows that self-confidence is a key component to many romantic relationships. When it came to her personal well-being, the dating guru began experimenting with different self-improvement methods. For example, she explained that meditating helped bring calmness to her hectic schedule. "I do transcendental meditation, which I fell in love with. It took about two years because I'd always been metaphysical, but I didn't have time to travel," Stanger told LA Style Magazine. This practice also aided in a few physical issues because as she revealed, "I suffered from cluster headaches and Hashimoto's disease. On top of that, most people my age are in menopause."

In addition to mediating, she was also medicating. "I'm gonna tell you the truth. I went on semaglutide, which is the ingredient in Ozempic," Stanger explained on the "Behind the Velvet Rope" podcast about the drug typically used for people with type 2 diabetes or obesity. She stopped taking semaglutide after a few weeks due to unfavorable side effects and switched to Mounjaro, another drug typically used to treat diabetes. "My doctor recommended it ... I'm not diabetic, but I do take a sugar pill twice a day to keep my sugar down," Stanger explained. The matchmaker also is careful about what she eats but doesn't obsess over her diet. "I feel like eating bread one day, then I'm going to eat bread," she told People.

As the leader of her matchmaking service Millionaires Club, Patti Stanger has unfortunately never found the everlasting success of a relationship like some of her clients. After splitting up with her boyfriend David Krause in 2015, Stanger was back on the hunt. Ironically, it was the free dating app Tinder that helped Stanger find a romantic connection. Stanger explained on the "Behind the Velvet Rope" podcast that she hopes to offer her own dating app one day and as research, she started using popular apps like Bumble and Tinder. She saw a guy with a familiar first name who had a cute photo of feeding a kangaroo, and she was hooked. 

According to Stanger, she also credited working with a manifestation coach to believe that she would find love, no matter what age. "David just showed up when I was about to get off the app," Stanger shared alongside a selfie post on Instagram with her man in 2023. According to the matchmaker, one of the acts that solidified the relationship was when both were sick with COVID-19 and he took care of her. "He had no symptoms and I was flat Lined! That's when you know love is real! I wish everyone the same true love and know love can happen in a second," she added on the post.

Patti Stanger grew up in New Jersey but relocated to warmer weather in Florida for higher education. She attended the University of Miami and though she came from a family of matchmakers, she had a different career in mind. "That was my dream, to be a screenwriter," she told The Miami Hurricane. As Stanger explained, that was the reason for her big move from New Jersey to Miami. "[It was] the only good school in the country that had a really good communications film department, other than NYU and USC," she explained. The move was the correct call because as Stanger recalled of her time in university, "I learned so much there to be honest with you." 

She was also grateful for the extracurricular activities, like having South Beach right nearby. While she studied film, Stanger unsurprisingly used her gift in matchmaking for her fellow undergrads. Stanger also recalled her time in the library, more for memories of making out with guys instead of studying. "The best guys are in the law library by the way, not the med school, because med students have no time, but that's the best kept secret," she said.

Later in her career, Stanger left behind reality television to become a producer. "I ended up doing four movies for Hallmark and learning how to produce scripted because I went to film school and I really wanted to do that," she said on the "Behind the Velvet Rope" podcast.

While Patti Stanger's methods of connecting people may seem old school by setting up and coaching clients, her methods clearly worked enough to land her own TV show about her services. Yet, Stanger also understood how the COVID-19 pandemic upended many traditional practices, especially when it came to dating. As a result, virtual connections grew because as Stanger said in Authority Magazine, "nobody has anything to do so it is not bad to either date online or make friends online." The matchmaker also admitted that the pandemic was difficult for people without love. 

"It's definitely a rough time for singles who are quarantined alone. Loneliness hit me hard the other night. I am single," Stanger explained. According to her, the best thing to do was to focus on hobbies or other interests. "It is a time to slow down, meditate, cook, and garden," she said. Additionally, she explained that even if virtual, the pandemic forced more interactions or as she called it, true connections.

Thanks to an increased online presence for many during the pandemic, it was also a great time for Stanger's line of business. "Everybody's going online. They're using matchmakers more than ever. That's a great way to meet someone," the matchmaker told Molly Sims. Without any quarantines or restrictions, Stanger follows her mom's advice: "My mother used to say, you have to have a dating account for travel, clothes and for doing things that are interesting."

After Patti Stanger left Bravo following eight seasons of "The Millionaire Matchmaker," it seemed the split was made permanent when she moved her talents to WE TV for "Million Dollar Matchmaker." However, the reality star hinted in 2019 that, if given the chance, she might consider returning to the network that made her a star. During an interview with Parade, Stanger revealed the idea of rebooting the original series to a "2.0 version of 'Millionaire Matchmaker.'" First things first, she had plans on international expansion. "My dream was always to take it around the world, and do it in other countries and then bring it back to the United States for a more improved version," Stanger explained. "Safe dating is my platform. So, who knows?" As Stanger summarized about her experience with Bravo, "I will never forget my time there, and I will never close the door."

In 2023, Stanger revealed that the door fully opened as she was returning to TV with "Patti Stanger: Millionaire Matchmaking" on the CW network instead of Bravo, with an expected launch date in 2024. "That's right lovelies ... I'm back," she posted on Instagram about the big news. Stanger thanked the network for giving her the opportunity and for her continued support from fans to get the matchmaker back on TV. She also signed with the Independent Artist Group for representation and reportedly, Stanger was working on another series based on her childhood growing up in New Jersey.

Patti Stanger's love goes beyond humans as she is also a big animal lover. For example, "to get rid of depression, I swim with dolphins," she told Us Magazine. At home, she had two dogs, which she called her babies. "A puppy will change your life and bring you true love," she posted on National Puppy Day, while also tagging PETA in the post. The matchmaker has referenced the animal rights group in several of her social media posts. For example, she retweeted about Christine Quinn from "Selling Sunset" reportedly owning a tiger and Stanger asked, "does PETA know?" Stanger once posed with a tiger on Instagram but she assured fans there was no danger involved. She said the photo was "for those animal lovers like me I would never cage/captive an animal @peta nor would #bravo! This was CGI! But I have to say my fake tiger was still ferocious!"

In 2020, Stanger posted another photo on Instagram with her dogs named Rerun and Shreck, with one adorably trying to lick her face. She called the animals the two loves of her life but shared sad news that both had died. "May they fly high with the angels and #rip! Miss you babies," she wrote. This didn't deter her from admiring other pets, like when she praised President Joe Biden's German shepherd Major, who was the first rescue dog from an animal shelter to live in the White House.

While it's common for people to grab drinks together on a date, Patti Stanger recommended that going to a bar when single can also have its benefits. She explained to LA Mag, "tip the bartender. Lean in and say, 'Hey, is there a regular here that you know is single and that you think I would be great with?'" She explained that bartenders make excellent matchmakers in part because they are also like therapists.

Beyond just imbibing, Stanger still likes the idea of incorporating food into romance. Plus, in her opinion, few date ideas can beat one of the classics. "Coffee is cheap. Drinks are an audition. Lunch is an interview. Dinner means business ... the business of romance," she posted in X, (formerly Twitter). This can mean going on but Stanger also is a supporter of a night in cooking. She said fish is best and even easier to order sushi in to avoid any unwelcome smells. Then, for dessert, she liked shareable foods that can be easily fed to the other person, like strawberries or crème brûlée. Stanger loves to talk about food even outside of a romantic setting since gastronomy is one of her passions. "If I weren't a matchmaker, I'd be a chef," she told Us Magazine. That, plus a cozy spot in front of a TV is all she needs. "I don't drink. I don't smoke. My vices are Netflix," Stanger revealed on the "Tamron Hall Show."