What is Angelica Rivera's Net Worth?
Angelica Rivera is a Mexican actress and singer who has a net worth of $20 million. Angélica Rivera has starred in numerous popular telenovelas over the years, including "La Dueña," "Ángela," "Mariana de la Noche," and "Destilando Amor." From 2012 to 2018 she served as the First Lady of Mexico since she is married to former Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. She retired from her career after marrying Nieto. Angelica has three children with former husband Jose Alberto Castro. Pena Nieto also had three children from a former marriage.
Early Life
Angélica Rivera was born on August 2, 1969 in Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico to María and Manuel. She has a brother and five sisters.
Career Beginnings as Model
Rivera began her career as a model, winning the Face of the Herald contest in 1987. She subsequently modeled in the video "Ahora Te Puedes Marchar." Rivera went on to model for television commercials in the United States.
Telenovela Actress
Rivera started acting in Mexican telenovelas in the late 80s with recurring roles on "Dulce desafío" and "Simplemente María." In the early 90s, she had a recurring role on "Mi Pequeña Soledad" and a lead role as the scheming Silvana Vélez on "Alcanzar una estrella II." Rivera also played both Isabel González and Érika de la Cruz on "Sueño de amor." She had further lead roles in the latter half of the 90s. On "La Dueña," Rivera played Regina Villareal, while on "Huracán" she played Elena. She closed out the decade portraying the titular Ángela Bellati Roldán on "Ángela," costarring Juan Soler, Ignacio López Tarso, and Jacqueline Andere.
In 2001, Rivera starred as Mariana Campos Ortiz on "Sin pecado concebido." Next, from 2003 to 2004, she played the main antagonist, Marcia Montenegro, on "Mariana de la noche." Rivera returned to telenovelas in 2007 when she landed the role of Gaviota, a country girl seeking out life in the big city, on "Destilando Amor." A remake of the Colombian telenovela "Café, con aroma de mujer," the series costars Eduardo Yáñez, Sergio Sendel, Martha Julia, and Chantal Andere, among others.
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First Lady of Mexico
Upon the election of her husband Enrique Peña Nieto as the president of Mexico in late 2012, Rivera became the First Lady of Mexico. She held that title for her husband's six years in office through 2018. During that time, Rivera became president of the National System for Integral Family Development, a public institution providing social assistance to families in Mexico. She also opened a comprehensive center for the hearing impaired called EnSeas.
$7 Million Mansion
In 2014, Angelica made headlines when it was revealed that a Mexican business tycoon named Juan Armando Hinojosa Cantu, who earned his fortune off government contracts, had given the actress a $7 million mansion located in one of Mexico City's most expensive neighborhoods. The tycoon reportedly received $3.5 billion worth of government contracts, many of which were given without competitor bids. Angelica would later claim it was not a gift but a loan that would be paid back with her own acting earnings. Rivera released a video in which she said that her sale of the house was not under her name because she had yet to make the full payment. Her response was poorly received and was derided on social media.
A Mexican financial outlet investigated how much the typical soap actress earns at Angelica's former employer and concluded the highest-paid stars earned 5 – 8 million pesos per year. That's the same as around $265,000 – $500,000 per year. Actors are also typically signed-on for 5 year exclusive contracts. The implication here being that it would be extremely hard to understand how Angelica could have enough personal wealth to afford a $7 million mansion. In response, Angelica claimed she had received $10 million USD as a severance payment from the network Televisa in recognition of her 25 years of service.
Angelica ultimately sold off her interest in the mansion to clear up any possibility of conflict of interest.
Alleged $100 Million Bribe
During the January 2019 trial of drug lord El Chapo Guzman, one of Chapo's former associates claimed that the Sinaloa cartel paid Enrique Peña Nieto a $100 million bribe. Actually the allegation was even worse. According to the testimony, Enrique is the one who approached the cartel soon after his 2012 election reportedly demanding a $250 million bribe to call off a nationwide manhunt for the drug lord. Chapo negotiated the bribe down to $100 million. The witness also claimed that the cartel's biggest rival paid Enrique's predecessor Felipe Calderon a similar bribe while he was in office.
Real Estate
In their 2014 wealth disclosure, Enrique and Angelica revealed that she owned an oceanfront condo in Key Biscayne, Florida that was purchased in 2005 for $1.775 million and was worth $3.3 million at that point. She bought the condo with a 30-year mortgage and paid it off in full in 2011, just 46 days after marrying Enrique.
Personal Life
Rivera's first husband was telenovela producer and director José Alberto Castro, whom she wed in late 1994. They had three daughters named Sofía, Fernanda, and Regina before divorcing in 2008. Sofía went on to become an actress.
In 2010, Rivera married Enrique Peña Nieto, who was at the time the governor of the State of Mexico. He became the president of Mexico in 2012 with Rivera as the first lady. The couple divorced in early 2019, months after Peña Nieto left office.
