The Untold Truth Of Reza Farahan
Once renowned for his impressive mustache, the now clean-shaven Reza Farahan became one of the breakout stars of Bravo's "Shahs of Sunset," the reality show about a group of Persian-Americans going about their glamorous day-to-day business in the Tehrangeles area of Beverly Hills.
Farahan — alongside Golnesa "GG" Gharachedaghi, Mercedes "MJ" Javid, and Mike Shouhed — is one of only four cast members to have featured in all eight seasons of the show. Since its premiere in March 2012, fans have seen him get engaged to and subsequently marry one-time fashion model and current Ryan Murphy cohort Adam Neely, agonize over the issue of having kids, and take part in blazing rows with his best friend of 30 years.
But what about the sides of Farahan's life that haven't been in the full glare of the cameras? From lawsuits and losing weight to feuds and famous classmates, here's a look at the untold truth of Reza Farahan.
Reza Farahan was sued over a house move gone wrong
Reza Farahan's reputation in the real estate industry took a bit of a blow in 2021 when he and husband Adam Neely were served a lawsuit over a botched property deal. According to The Blast, a disgruntled vendor by the name of Angela Williams took the pair to court after they agreed to buy her four-bedroom, three-bathroom Los Angeles home.
The process had apparently been going swimmingly until the appraisal part, where the "Shahs of Sunset" stars were revealed to be ineligible for a loan. They subsequently pulled out of the deal, but not in time to meet certain cancelation deadlines. As a result, Williams argued that Nealy and Farahan should have to forfeit the $74,850 deposit they put in escrow.
The latter also allegedly "unreasonably failed to participate" in any mediation talks that could have sorted things out more amicably. And so Williams, who ended up selling her 3,000-square foot home to another interested party, decided to get the lawyers involved.
The reality star now has body confidence
We're surprised Reza Farahan hasn't added weight loss DVDs to his list of business endeavors. After all, he lost an impressive 60 pounds once he fully decided to commit to a new health regime, as he told Hollywood Life in 2021. The "Shahs of Sunset" star explained that his waist was pushing 40 inches at one point, but after getting tired of "huffing and puffing" and shopping at Big and Tall, he realized he needed to take some action.
Farahan subsequently sought the advice from an expert nutritionist who, among other things, recommended updating a food journal every day. But this being the stubborn star of Bravo's premier Persian-American reality show and all, such wise words initially fell on deaf ears. In fact, it took months for Farahan to take things truly seriously and commit to some intermittent fasting. Even then, he admitted he felt constantly testy and angry. "[It] wasn't all easy" sounds like an understatement.
Thankfully, the realtor began to see his hard work paying off. "After two weeks it was like, 'Oh. This works for me.' It's very structured." Farahan was particularly excited that he could now share clothes with his other half, adding, "I'm not embarrassed to take my shirt off. There's no tire. I can wear Adam's pants."
Reza Farahan was cast on Shahs of Sunset accidentally
Reza Farahan might have only recently acquired a certain level of body confidence, but he's certainly never been short of all-round confidence. "First and foremost, I've felt like cameras should have been following me around my whole life," he told Complex in 2012.
You might expect, therefore, that the realtor had clamored to show the world just what they'd been missing out on. But he initially met up with Ryan Seacrest Productions about the "Shahs of Sunset" concept as a neutral party. Yes, Farahan only agreed to join his more interested friend Mercedes "MJ" Javid in the talks to hang out, drink some wine, and get the lowdown on the "interesting" new project.
The Iranian further explained, "I went, sat down, had a glass of conversation and from that moment it happened very organically. It was broad strokes, not any real concrete idea of what they were doing, but [the producer] was throwing this concept around, and he kept calling me. Like, he would call me to say, 'This is something that's in the works,' and I just put it on the back burner, and it came to fruition." Within a year of the show going on air, Farahan had become the star he always believed he was destined to be.
He got into a beef with Beverly Hills' former mayor
Anyone who's watched even a single episode of "Shahs of Sunset" will already know that Reza Farahan isn't afraid to speak his mind. So Jimmy Delshad, the one-time Beverly Hills mayor, could be considered either brave or foolish for going after the realtor and his castmates in the wake of the show's first season.
Delshad incurred Farahan's wrath in 2012 after voicing concerns that the Bravo show would make the Persian-American community seem like "undesirable people." The reality star certainly didn't hold back when he responded to such criticism in a chat with Complex: "First of all, Jimmy Delshad's the age of my great grandfather. If you ask my great grandfather about reality programming, he's not going to know anything either, bless his heart. And he has an opinion, and opinions are like you-know-whats, and some of them stink more than others. And what he has to say doesn't impact me; he didn't watch the show, and he's getting out there, someone's asking him to talk on TV or in the paper, and of course he's going to jump at the opportunity."
Farahan also took a shot at Firoozeh Dumas, the author who wanted to distance herself from the cast of "Shahs of Sunset" as much as possible. "Oh, the girl that wrote 'Funny in Farsi,' who couldn't sell a book," he mentioned in the Complex interview. He then claimed that both Delshad and Dumas were only speaking out against the show as a form of self-promotion.
He went mustache-less for motivational reasons
The thick mustache so impressive it could have made "Magnum"-era Tom Selleck jealous used to be one of Reza Farahan's trademarks. It even had its own Twitter account at one point! But in 2017, he shocked the reality TV world when he shaved it off, allowing "Shahs of Sunset" viewers to see his full complexion in all its glory.
So why did he decide to make such a bold move? In an interview with Decider, Farahan revealed that he reached for the razor as a motivational tool. "I've been on this super diet kick and I trimmed all the hair on my chest and stomach, and it makes everything stand out a little bit more. So if you have five extra pounds, you notice it more. I'm being really psycho-militant with this diet right now, why don't I shave the mustache and I'll be able to see what I'm hiding."
Farahan was undecided about whether his upper lip would remain hairless forever, but he hasn't been seen with a mustache since. And the motivational tactic appears to have worked. The flamboyant star has lost 60 pounds since embarking on his new health journey.
Reza Farahan would hit on a co-star if straight
Reza Farahan has been happily (well, mostly happily) attached to his partner Adam Neely since 2010. But if we were living in an alternate world, the realtor has mentioned he would want to be shacked up with a different "Shahs of Sunset" co-star.
In a 2012 chat with StyleCaster, Farahan revealed that, if he was heterosexual, he would be hitting on wedding planner Anita Gohari "left and right." The Iranian explained, "Anita is super glamorous, she always looks on point. Her makeup, her hair, her outfits. She's like the total package."
Gohari certainly seems to fit the brief that Farahan stated when asked how he likes women to dress. "I feel like, if you're going to the grocery store, you need to look put together. Do your hair, do your makeup, I'm from that school of thought. You never know who you're going to bump into. You should always look on the outside how you want to feel on the inside." We can only guess whether Gohari would also have to share his passion for pocket squares in this unlikely scenario. Farahan admits that his collection of the accessory is the most cherished part of his wardrobe.
The bougie star isn't afraid to get his hands dirty
You might expect that someone who prides himself on being the most fabulous member of a "lifestyles of the rich" reality show would enlist the help of the nearest high-end contractor if they wanted some home renovation done, or perhaps ask one of HGTV's finest to help out and get some more prime-time TV exposure. But Reza Farahan proved in 2021 that he isn't afraid to get his hands dirty.
In a video posted on Bravo's website, the "Shahs of Sunset" star explained that he and husband Adam Neely had been busy transforming the exterior of their North Hollywood pad. "We did our pool and spa, we did our hardscaping, we did our landscaping, we did our lighting. We redid the front. I redid the garage, ripped the slab out, drywall, all new storage, all the paint touch-ups, all the irrigation was redone. We were getting as much of the stuff on our side of the street as clean as possible. Like, it was sparkling."
A visibly proud Farahan, who revealed that their backyard had previously been "just a pile of dirt," even helped Neely lay down a walkway so visitors could appreciate the fruits of their labor.
He was left broken-hearted by the Bravo racism scandal
In 2020, several "Vanderpump Rules" stars were given the boot by Bravo over their racist conduct. Brett Caprioni and Max Boyens were sacked after the resurfacing of various offensive tweets. Kristen Doute and Stassi Schroeder came under fire after freely admitting to calling the police on the show's only African-American cast member, Faith Stowers, for a crime completely unrelated to her. And Schroeder also found herself in more hot water due to comments she made on her podcast about Black representation.
During an Instagram Live session, Reza Farahan, whose "Shahs of Sunset" show airs on the same network, revealed he was fully supportive of all the dismissals. He said [via Page Six] "I'm for it ... when I hear people that are Caucasian, like white American people, say things ... I'm not going to say the person's name, but I was listening to a podcast of this person and this person was talking about race and why and oh, my God, I was disgusted and my heart was broken."
The star then added that as a gay, Middle Eastern, half-Muslim, and half-Jewish man, he knew all about such prejudice himself. "And if I didn't have money, you know, luckily financially, my family, from a time when I was very young, always had money. And I think money was the barrier and it was one layer of protection from the police. But discrimination is real, you guys. It's so real."
Reza Farahan wants to be a role model for Middle Eastern youth
Reza Farahan's behavior might not always be the most exemplary. There was the highly offensive comment he made to best friend MJ Javid about abortion. There was the physical altercation with Ali Ashouri, which led to Farahan being issued a restraining order. And then there was the explosive fight with Mike Shouhed that allegedly took place behind the scenes of BravoCon. But the realtor still hopes a certain group of viewers will see him as a role model.
In an interview with ABC7, Farahan revealed that by being an out and proud Iranian gay man, he wants to inspire others within his community to accept who they are. "The only thing that I feel a responsibility for and to is the young, Middle Eastern youth, some of whom I grew up with and are no longer with me today because they took their own lives. If I can help someone, that makes my day."
The "Shahs of Sunset" star admitted he also found it hard to feel comfortable in his own skin, but acknowledged he'd been lucky enough to receive support from those close to home. "I was a young kid. I knew I was different. I'm so proud that I have family members that some may say are as old as dirt, but they love me and they support me."
He finds shooting reality TV easy
While all the constant drama makes the stars of "Shahs of Sunset" look as though they're constantly living in a pressure cooker, Reza Farahan stated he doesn't feel any stress from filming. When asked by The Hollywood Reporter in 2012 whether he found shooting the Bravo show particularly difficult, the realtor essentially claimed it didn't really impact his life at all.
Farahan said, "I maintain a tight ship. Everything's great at home at all times. So, if the cameras were in my house, everything would always look great anyway. I didn't have to change anything, because they were around, it was just my life."
In fact, in another interview with Complex, the Iranian suggested that he'd have been quite happy for cameras to have been following him from birth in the style of "The Truman Show." "So, now that they're actually there, I kind of don't realize that they're there. For me it wasn't really a big adjustment. I might have realized them the first day for a few moments, but when you're around a bunch of friends that you've known for years and years, you lose yourself in what you're doing, you don't have an awareness of the cameras anymore."
He considers 'cheap' to be the worst insult
Reza Farahan has been called many things during his time on "Shahs of Sunset," like a "lowlife animal" by his best friend MJ Javid's husband, Tommy Feight, and a "backstabber" by his arch-enemy Mike Shouhed. But, according to Farahan, those are far from the worst insults he could be dealt. If someone was really looking to hurt him, they would need to comment on his generosity.
Speaking to Bravo's The Daily Dish podcast, the Iranian explained, "I definitely don't want to leave a restaurant and have someone say, 'Oh, that guy from "Shahs" was here and he was so cheap.' Like, that would be the worst insult for me. I definitely always go overboard."
In fact, Farahan would no doubt be any waiting staff's ideal customer. Not only does the realtor suitably compensate for the service he's been provided, he will often also take into consideration the actions of his fellow diners. "If someone at my table is being foul or difficult or rude to the waiter or waitress, I usually tend to try to make up for it," he explained.
Reza Farahan was classmates with Monica Lewinsky
Don't expect Reza Farahan and Monica Lewinsky to sit reminiscing about their youth in the unlikely event they both attend any future Beverly Hills High School reunion. The pair may have been classmates, but an interview Reza Farahan gave to The Daily Beast suggests there's no love lost between the pair.
When asked what he remembers about the woman involved in the biggest presidential scandal of the 1990s, Farahan simply replied, "She was fat." And when pressed for further details, the "Shahs of Sunset" star could still only focus on her weight. "She used to love to eat these big cookies. They used to sell these big cookies in the cafeteria, and they were wrapped in cellophane, and I always remember seeing her holding one of those very large cookies. And her family would send her to fat camp during the summer. It was 'camp,' but it was really fat camp."
Farahan might be unnecessarily mean about Lewinsky's youthful frame, but he doesn't blame the former White House intern for her involvement with Bill Clinton. "Honestly, I think any girl that said they wouldn't have done what she did would be lying. It's a power thing — like the most powerful man in the universe and you have the option of b***ing him. I'm not mad at her. I would have done it too."
The reality star is a germophobe
Reza Farahan was unlikely to have needed any guidance on when and how to wash his hands during the early stages of the pandemic. The "Shahs of Sunset" star is a self-described germophobe, and one who has drawn upon this fact several times to deny allegations about his private life, too.
In 2020, the realtor quashed rumors — essentially started by his BFF MJ Javid — that he and his husband Adam Neely were regulars at their local bathhouses by reiterating his high standards of cleanliness. In fact, he told the "No Filter with Zack Peter" podcast that he didn't even know where his nearest gay sauna was!
The year previously, Farahan also brought up his fear of microorganisms while discussing the rather racy DMs he receives on social media, many of which also featured promises to shower him with gifts. He told attendees at New York's BravoCon [via toofab], "If someone wants to give me something. I feel super uncomfortable, I feel like I owe them something. And I'm a germaphobe, so it doesn't even go with my make-up."
Reza Farahan has a net worth of $7 million
In 2013, TV Guide reported that Reza Farahan was earning $18,000 for each episode of "Shahs of Sunset." With 119 episodes of the show and counting, the Bravo money alone has made the realtor over $1 million — and we can only assume his paycheck increased as the show became more popular.
Of course, Farahan already had quite the fortune before he signed up to appear on the squabble-heavy reality show. The Iranian had no doubt earned a significant amount helping to sell houses in the Beverly Hills area at Keller Williams Realty. He also came from a wealthy family. Since rising to fame, he hasn't stopped his business endeavors either. He's launched his own eco-friendly, vegan haircare product range dubbed Reza Be Obsessed, and some of the products include crushed diamonds and gold in their ingredients list.
It's little wonder, then, that, according to Celebrity Net Worth, Farahan now has an impressive $7 million in the bank. That's apparently $2 million more than his BFF MJ Javid but $5 million less than Golnesa Gharachedaghi, although it's hard to know how much of these figures has come from their entrepreneurial spirit and how much has come from their parents' wallets.