Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy is no stranger to voicing controversial opinions—but no amount of shocking comments could have prepared his fans for the entrepreneur’s recent admission about his unique financial arrangement with his ex-wife.
The 47-year-old revealed during a recent interview with online host Sage Steele that his former spouse, Renee, still shares a bank account with him and has full access to his estimated $150 million fortune, seven years after they split.
Portnoy explained that his decision to allow his ex-partner, whom he has never officially divorced, full freedom with his fortune was born out of a desire to thank her for the support she showed him during the early days of Barstool Sports.
The company, which was founded in 2003 as a sports blog, was in its early stages when the couple first met. It has since grown into an international sports, lifestyle, and entertainment media brand, and was valued at $606 million in February 2023.
“We met when Barstool was nothing, so she rode the grind up with us,” Portnoy said of his ex-wife. “She was with me every step of the way. So in my mind, she’s entitled to enjoy the fruits of it.
“She currently has access to all my money. If she just wanted to be like, ‘I’m taking it’ and be gone, she could. But we’ve had that joint bank account forever. I trust her implicitly. She has full access for a long time.”
5 Dave Portnoy revealed in an interview that his ex-wife still has access to his multi-million dollar fortune. Youtube/ BFFs Podcast
The Barstool Sports founder went on to explain that, while the two are legally separated, a divorce has never been finalized. Their one attempt to secure a divorce did not pan out how they had planned, he added.
“We’re still technically married right now. … We tried to get a divorce in Massachusetts, denied,” he noted. Their “fluid” financial arrangement was not regimented enough for the judge to give their divorce the go-ahead.
“Her and I have a very fluid relationship with our finances,” he continued. “She’s not like, ‘Give me half,’ and we’ve been separated legally for a long time. The judge said our agreement wasn’t equitable to her. They’re like, ‘He’s worth a lot more, you have to give half.’”
5 Portnoy explained that they’re still “technically” married, just separated. Instagram/renee_portnoy
According to Portnoy, Renee told the judge she didn’t want half his money. So instead, they’ll untie the knot in Florida.
Thankfully for the Barstool Sports founder, who is known to his fans as “El Presidente,” he boasts properties in three different states across the U.S. (This means he could have two more attempts to file for divorce.)
In total, Portnoy owns around $65 million worth of real estate in Massachusetts, Florida, and New York. He neglected to reveal whether his former partner has full “access” to his homes as well as his bank account.
Miami mansion
5 Portnoy’s ex-wife Renee (pictured) told the judge she didn’t want half his money. Instagram/renee_portnoy
In 2021, Portnoy splashed out $13,980,000 for a waterfront mansion in Miami, the Real Deal reported. The gated property had been on and off the market for years, both as a rental and for sale. It was priced at nearly $15 million when Portnoy picked it up at a discount.
Three years later, the home has an estimated value of $17.7 million, according to Realtor.com®.
The two-story contemporary features nine bedrooms and nine baths. It comes with a one-bedroom, one-bath guesthouse.
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Built in 1939, the 6,000-square-foot home has since been restored and renovated. The lushly landscaped acreage includes a pool, patio, beach cabana, and private dock.
The living room features a wood-burning fireplace, goat skin walls, and three sets of French doors that open to covered outdoor seating.
There’s also a formal dining area, a kitchen with a marble center island, and a library. Upstairs, the primary suite comes with a private balcony.
Noteworthy in Nantucket
The Massachusetts native, who grew up in the North Shore town of Swampscott, picked up two adjacent homes in Nantucket for $42 million in 2023.
According to multiple reports, the purchase set a record for the island, and the state, at the time. He reportedly spent an additional $2 million on furniture.
The price was more than worth it to secure a home in his “favorite place on Earth,” he said.
“Nantucket has always been my favorite place on Earth,” he wrote in a post on X. “The best day of my year was heading to the island for vacation. The worst day was taking the ferry back home.”
The two homes sit on 1.2 acres on the popular vacation isle: a 5,200-square-foot main residence and a two-bedroom guesthouse. There’s also a pool and harbor views for miles.
5 Portnoy purchased two neighboring homes in Nantucket for $42 million dollars. X / @stoolpresidente
Perhaps the most intriguing feature of the home is its underground tunnel, which connects the guesthouse with a separate studio, each of which are separate from the enormous main residence.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the property was designed by Andrew Kotchen of Workshop/APD and completed in 2018.
Real estate agent Shellie Dunlap, who represented the sellers in the deal, would not confirm that Portnoy was the buyer of the property. However, she did reveal that the main home boasts four bedrooms, including a primary suite with an indoor-outdoor shower and glass doors that open up to the harbor.
Hamptons home
5 Portnoy purchased a mansion in Montauk in 2021. Bing Maps
Although Barstool Sports was founded in Massachusetts, it’s now a media behemoth in New York City, where it has offices in the trendy borough of Brooklyn.
When the media mogul wants some R&R closer to the office, he can head to his Montauk mansion, which he is understood to have purchased for $9.8 million in 2021.
The 5,700-square-foot vacation getaway in the trendy Hamptons enclave has five bedrooms, a pool, and endless ocean views.
Although reports surfaced that the cash-strapped owner was looking to sell the property for $14 million, he denied that he had put his Hamptons home on the market.
Dave Portnoy’s ex-wife still has access to all of his money-but does she get a share of his $65M property portfolio?
