Emma Hernan turned Selling Sunset fame into a net worth that rivals her biggest property sales

Emma Hernan turned Selling Sunset fame into a net worth that rivals her biggest property sales

Emma Hernan is a reality TV star, entrepreneur, angel investor, licensed realtor, and former model. She gained initial fame as the founder and CEO of a plant-based food company called Emma Leigh & Co. Emma is also a celebrated star of the Netflix reality series Selling Sunset, where her business savvy and glamorous lifestyle have won her a global fanbase. She has amassed an estimated net worth of $4 million throughout her career as of 2026.

Emma Hernan attends the premiere of Lifetime's "A Rose For Her Grave: The Randy Roth Story", and the People's Choice Awards
Emma Hernan attends the premiere of Lifetime's "A Rose For Her Grave: The Randy Roth Story" (L), and the People's Choice Awards (R). Photo: Paul Archuleta, Amy Sussman (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Key takeaways

  • Emma Hernan grew up in a working-class family in Boston/Scituate, Massachusetts, and moved to LA as a teenager to pursue modelling.
  • She founded Emma Leigh & Co. in 2020, a plant-based frozen food company.
  • Emma joined The Oppenheim Group in 2018 after being encouraged by Jason Oppenheim.
  • She is reportedly single as of 2026 following her recent split from real estate heir Blake Davis.

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Profile summary

Full name

Emma Hernan

Gender

Female

Date of birth

14 July 1991

Age

34 years (as May 2026)

Place of birth

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Current residence

Los Angeles, United States

Nationality

American

Ethnicity

White

Religion

Christianity

Sexuality

Straight

Zodiac sign

Cancer

Height

5'10" (178 cm)

Weight

121 lb (55 kg)

Body measurements

36-24-36 in (91-61-91 cm)

Hair colour

Blonde

Eye colour

Hazel

Father

Thomas

Mother

Stephanie

Siblings

3

Relationship status

Single

Education

Scituate High School and University of Rhode Island

Profession

Entrepreneur, reality TV star, and realtor

Instagram

@emmahernan

TikTok

@emmahernan

Who is Emma Hernan?

Emma Hernan is an American real estate agent, entrepreneur, investor, and reality television personality best known for appearing on the Netflix series Selling Sunset. She joined the show in Season 4 as an agent at The Oppenheim Group, where she sells luxury properties in Los Angeles.

How old is Emma Hernan?

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Emma Hernan's age is 34 years as of May 2026. She was born on 14 July 1991, and her Zodiac sign is Cancer.

What is Emma Hernan's ethnicity?

Most public profiles describe her as American of White ethnicity. There has been online speculation about possible Irish, Portuguese, or Spanish ancestry because of her surname, Hernan, and her empanada business. However, the reality TV star and realtor has not clearly verified a specific ethnic heritage in major interviews or official profiles.

Top 5 facts about Emma Hernan
Top 5 facts about Emma Hernan. Photo: Amy Sussman (modified by author)
Source: Original

What is Emma Hernan's background?

Emma Hernan was born in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and grew up in the coastal town of Scituate. She comes from a working-class family.

Her father, Thomas, was a firefighter, and her mother, Stephanie, was a stay-at-home mom. In a 2022 Forbes interview, Emma recalled:

My father was a firefighter. My mother was a stay-at-home mom. They were hard workers. I just had this passion to be extremely successful because my parents were the world's best parents. I was babysitting, modelling — I was saving every penny. I started investing at a really young age.

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Emma Hernan's family includes her three brothers. Their names are Alex, J. Matthew, and Christopher Hernan, with whom she was raised in Massachusetts before eventually moving to Los Angeles to chase her dreams.

From a young age, Emma showed a remarkable entrepreneurial mindset. She began investing in the stock market at around 14 to 16 years old, inspired by a Wall Street professional she met while working as a nanny and encouraged by her school math teacher's lessons on investing.

Emma Hernan's education history

Emma Hernan completed her secondary schooling at Scituate High School in Massachusetts. She later enrolled at the University of Rhode Island, where she pursued higher education before eventually leaving to focus full-time on her burgeoning modelling and business career in Los Angeles.

How did Emma Hernan get famous?

Emma Hernan became famous mainly through the Netflix reality series Selling Sunset, which introduced her to a global audience in 2021 during the show’s fourth season. Below is a look at her career history.

Emma Hernan is seen in Los Angeles, California
Emma Hernan is seen in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Rachpoot/Bauer-Griffin
Source: Getty Images

Modelling career

As a teenager, Emma relocated to Los Angeles to pursue modelling. She worked with Model Club Inc in Boston before making the move to Los Angeles to further develop her career.

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Over the years, she landed campaigns with major global brands, including Puma, Guess, Sports Illustrated, and Gap. In 2015, model Emma Hernan was crowned Miss COED of the Year, which was a high point in her modelling journey.

Before becoming a professional model, she had already worked as a babysitter, ice cream shopkeeper, and in her family's seafood business, Yankee Trader Seafood.

Founding Emma Leigh & Co.

Emma's entrepreneurial spark drove her to launch Emma Leigh & Co. in 2020, a plant-based frozen food company best known for its vegan empanadas. She had already purchased a manufacturing facility through her company, Coast to Coast, before going to market.

Buying a manufacturing facility was a move that proved critical when she partnered with Beyond Meat to fulfil major orders from Costco. The brand has since gained national recognition and is widely credited as the primary engine of her personal wealth.

Emma also angel-invested in companies, including Nanotech and CBD Company (Green Gorilla), further diversifying her financial portfolio.

Emma Hernan attends the Giving A Smile Foundation Gala at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California
Emma Hernan attends the Giving A Smile Foundation Gala at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. Photo: Paul Archuleta
Source: Getty Images

Real estate with The Oppenheim Group

Emma's entry into real estate came in 2017 when she purchased her first home in the Hollywood Hills through The Oppenheim Group. Jason Oppenheim personally encouraged her to obtain a real estate licence.

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In 2018, she started officially working with the firm. Her background as a CEO gave her an edge when dealing with high-net-worth clients. As she told People magazine:

Being in the food industry is a huge part of my story, and also transitioning into real estate. A lot of the ties that I made from that — and from being a woman CEO and a woman entrepreneur — mean I've met other CEOs who are now purchasing homes. So you'll see it unfold [on screen], but it makes a big difference, me coming on and having that entrepreneurial background, for sure.

Selling Sunset stardom

The American realtor rose to national and international fame when she was cast in Season 4 of Netflix's Selling Sunset, which premiered in 2021. The show follows real estate brokers at The Oppenheim Group as they navigate high-stakes property deals and their personal lives.

Emma has since appeared in Seasons 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. Her presence on the show has boosted her profile enormously, attracting brand partnerships and a massive Instagram following.

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Emma Hernan is seen in Los Angeles, California
Emma Hernan is seen in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Rachpoot
Source: Getty Images

Is Emma Hernan a millionaire?

She is. As of 2026, Emma Hernan's net worth is estimated to be $4 million. Her wealth comes from a genuinely diversified set of income streams, as explored below:

  • Emma Leigh & Co.: Her vegan frozen food empire is the largest driver of her personal wealth.
  • Real estate commissions at The Oppenheim Group: She sells multi-million dollar luxury properties in Los Angeles.
  • Selling Sunset earnings: Cast members reportedly earn between $10,000 and $40,000 per episode.
  • Angel investments: She has invested in companies such as Nanotech and Green Gorilla.
  • Brand partnerships and modelling work: She has worked with multiple reputable brands.
  • Stock market investments: She began investing at a remarkably young age.

Unlike many of her Selling Sunset castmates, whose wealth is primarily tied to real estate or acting, Emma Hernan built a substantial fortune through entrepreneurship long before cameras started rolling. As she told SUCCESS magazine:

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I didn't come from a lot, so I created the life that I have pretty much all on my own... I feel like a lot of people are afraid to take that first step, and that’s my biggest thing.
Emma Hernan attends The Daily Front Row's 9th Annual Fashion Los Angeles Awards at The Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, California
Emma Hernan attends The Daily Front Row's 9th Annual Fashion Los Angeles Awards at The Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Photo: Maya Dehlin Spach
Source: Getty Images

Is Emma Hernan married?

Emma Hernan is not married. In 2017, she got engaged to Peter Cornell, a former basketball player, though the pair parted ways in 2018. Their history became a storyline in Selling Sunset Season 4, when co-star Christine Quinn claimed she had caught her then-boyfriend Peter cheating with Emma.

More recently, the American realtor was linked to property developer Micah McDonald during Season 5 of Selling Sunset. From 2024, she was in an on-and-off relationship with Blake Davis, a real estate heir who appeared in Season 9 of the show.

Their romance attracted significant attention, with co-star Chrishell Stause expressing concern about Davis. As of 2026, Emma Hernan and Blake Davis have reportedly split after approximately two years of dating. While there are rumours that she has a new partner she has kept away from the cameras, this information is yet to be verified.

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Does Emma Hernan have a child?

The reality television star does not have any children as of 2026. She has not publicly announced a pregnancy or confirmed having any kids.

What is Emma Hernan's height?

The reality TV star's height is 5 feet 10 inches or 178 centimetres, and she weighs approximately 121 pounds or 55 kilograms. She has striking blonde hair and hazel eyes.

FAQs

  • Who is Emma Hernan? She is a real estate agent, reality TV personality, angel investor, entrepreneur, and former model based in Los Angeles.
  • How old is Emma Hernan? The reality TV star is 34 years old as of May 2026.
  • Where is Emma Hernan from? She was born in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
  • Who are Emma Hernan's parents? The realtor's parents are Thomas Hernan (a former firefighter) and Stephanie Hernan (a homemaker).
  • What is Emma Hernan's educational background? She attended Scituate High School and later the University of Rhode Island.
  • Is Emma Hernan a billionaire? No, her net worth is estimated at $4 million as of 2026, making her a multi-millionaire, not a billionaire.

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Emma Hernan is one of the most compelling success stories to emerge from the Selling Sunset universe. She is a self-made entrepreneur who built a multi-million-dollar empire through grit, smart investing, and sheer determination. From her roots in Boston to the luxury listings of Los Angeles, she has proved that real wealth is built on more than just property sales.

Legit.ng recently published Larry Birkhead's biography. Larry Birkhead is a celebrity photographer, real estate agent and reality TV star. He rose to fame in 2007 due to court battles regarding the paternity of Anna Nicole Smith's 7-month-old daughter.

The photographer has appeared in numerous publications, billboards and television programmes. He is also a realtor and a household name in the American rеаlіtу TV entertainment arena.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
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Cyprine Apindi (Lifestyle writer) Cyprine Apindi is a content creator and educator with over seven years of experience. She holds a Diploma in Mass Communication and a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from Kenyatta University (graduated in 2017). Cyprine joined Briefly.co.za in mid-2021, covering multiple topics, including finance, entertainment, sports, and lifestyle. In 2023, she finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. In 2024, she completed the Google News Initiative course. Cyprine received the 2023 and 2025 Writer of the Year awards. Email: cyprineapindi@gmail.com

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Isaac Wangethi (Lifestyle writer) Isaac Wangethi is a writer at Legit.ng. He joined the team in September 2021 and has over five years of experience. Isaac specialises in celebrity biographies, lifestyles, and news reports. He has won the Legit Writer of the Year Award multiple times (2023, 2024, 2025). Isaac earned a BSc in Information Technology from the UoN in 2017. He also holds a Higher Diploma in Computer Software Engineering from Gretsa University (2021). Isaac completed the AFP Digital Investigation Techniques course in 2023 and the Google News Initiative training in March 2024. Email: Wangethin@gmail.com.