Getty Lisa Maria Falcone attends the 9th annual Keep A Child Alive Black Ball at Hammerstein Ballroom on October 30, 2014 in New York City.
Lisa Marie Falcone, the wife of billionaire hedge-funder Philip Falcone, found herself in the midst of a lawsuit after making racist remarks about a chef. After claiming, according to Page Six, that she can use the ‘n-word’ because she’s friends with Alicia Keys, she drew even more negative media attention.
Page Six cites a lawsuit in which Brian Villanueva says he was hired to cook at the Falcone’s Hamptons dinner party in the summer of 2019. Villanueva said he brought his African-American girlfriend to help him work the party. At the party, he alleges Lisa said to him “Your girlfriend speaks very well. She seems educated. I would describe her as a chocolate-covered marshmallow.” Then, according to the court papers filed in the lawsuit, she went on to ask, “Do you use the word ‘n—-’ at home with your girlfriend?”
Here’s what you need to know about Lisa Falcone:
1. Lisa Produces Movies & Is on the Board of the New York City Ballet
Producer Lisa Maria Falcone arrives at the “Mother and Child” screening during the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival held at Roy Thomson Hall on September 14, 2009 in Toronto, Canada.
On her IMDb profile, Falcone has 5 producers credits for the films Mother and Child, 127 Hours, Win Win, Mud, and most recently Joe’s War in 2017. A portion of the money Falcone earned as a producer of Mother and Child went to Inwood House, a charity that supports pregnant teenagers.
Further affirming her love of the arts, Lisa is also on the board of the New York City Ballet. She told W Magazine that she used to watch the ballet on television growing up because “it helped me transcend my situation and go somewhere else.”
2. Lisa & Philip Are Parents to Twin Girls
Lisa and Philip Falcone have two children, twin girls named Carolina and Liliana. The girls were born in February 2005, which means they are currently 14 years old.
According to Vanity Fair, Alicia Keys even sang at one of the girls’ birthday parties. They sold their townhouse on East 67th Street, just off 5th Avenue, for $80 million, which is the most a New York City townhouse has ever sold for.
Lisa, an animal lover, brought a number of pets into the family home, including cats, dogs, and a pig named Wilbur (which they originally got to help the twins’ complete their Charlotte’s Web Halloween costumes).
3. Lisa & Philip Sold Their New York City Townhouse for a Record $80M in 2019
Lisa Maria Falcone attends the “Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology” Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2016 in New York City.
According to Bloomberg, the Falcones set a New York City real estate record earlier this year. They sold their East 67th street home (located just off 5th Avenue) for $80 million, the most expensive townhouse ever sold in New York City.
The couple bought the home in 2008 for $49 million and put millions of dollars worth of renovations into the townhouse while they lived there as a family. By the time the property sold in 2019, it was expanded to almost 30,000 square feet.
4. Lisa Grew Up in Spanish Harlem With Her Single Mom
Lisa Maria Falcone attends the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2018 in New York City.
In a feature W Magazine published of Lisa, they explained that she was raised in Spanish Harlem “by an alcoholic mother on welfare;” throughout the feature, they compare her rags to riches story to the fairytale princess Cinderella.
According to Vanity Fair, it wasn’t until she was older that she learned that the woman she called “mom” was actually a biological aunt. She never met her birth mother, and her father (who was a busboy) was largely out of the picture.
Acknowledging her background and where she comes from, it is unsurprising that Falcone takes special interest in philanthropy that supports the building of a New York that can be enjoyed by everyone. Edward Norton told W Magazine that “The experiences of her youth really affected her view of what access to culture and parks does for people who are not coming from a heavily advantaged background.”
5. Lisa Was a Model When She Met Philip & Maintains Her Unique Fashion Sense
Producer Lisa Maria Falcone attends the Producers and Engineers Wing 11th Annual GRAMMY Week Event Honoring Swizz Beatz And Alicia Keys at The Rainbow Room on January 25, 2018 in New York City.
Growing up in New York City, Falcone was discovered on the street by a Wilhemina agent and became a model. She was modeling when she met Philip in a bar. Philip had formerly played hockey in Minnesota, and after the two got married and moved into a studio apartment together, he started to make his money on Wall Street.
Although the two have billions of dollars now and regularly socialize with Manhattan’s elite, Lisa has not compromised her sense of style. She is known for dressing outside of the box, and can often be seen donning expensive and eye-catching pieces even in casual settings. She told Vanity Fair “I like one-of-a-kind pieces, the ones that stores are scared to buy because no one is going to buy them.”