Mohamed Hadid is best known as dad to daughters Gigi and Bella Hadid — but he’s also made a name for himself in the real estate industry.
Mohamed was born in Israel in November 1948 but his parents and seven siblings left their home amid the Palestine War. They fled to Lebanon before settling down in Syria in 1948. While Mohamed and his family obtained citizenship in Jordan, they didn’t stay put as they moved around before immigrating to the United States.
After completing his studies in the U.S., Mohamed dabbled in restoring and reselling classic cars and opened a nightclub in Greece before he found his passion for real estate. Mohamed made his fortune as a developer.
While Mohamed is well-regarded in his industry, he is best known for his relationship with model Yolanda Hadid. The pair were married from 1994 to 2000 and share three children: Gigi, Bella and Anwar. Throughout their marriage, Mohamed made appearances on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills before their split.
Keep scrolling to learn more about Mohamed:
Mohamed Moved to the United States at Age 14
While in Syria, Mohamed’s father joined the United States Information Agency (USIA) and Voice of America (VOA) which led to him getting a job in Washington D.C. as a writer, editor and translator. When Mohamed was 14, the family immigrated to the United States.
Mohamed was the sole Arab student at the time when he graduated from Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia. He went on to attend North Carolina State University and MIT.
Mohamed Is a Real Estate Mogul
After finding success at his nightclub in Greece, Mohamed took the profits from his venture to dabble in real estate. He worked to develop multiple Ritz Carlton hotels and faced off against President Donald Trump to build a resort in Aspen, Colorado.
Mohamed is best known for his work on the Bel Air mansion, Le Belvedere, which sold for $50 million in 2010. He also created The Crescent Palace in Los Angeles which sold for $58 million in 2012.
While Mohamed found success in the market, he also faced legal trouble. While working on another Bel Air mansion in 2015, Mohamed was accused of violating local zoning laws. The Los Angeles City Council decided to pursue criminal charges against him. In May 2017, Mohamed pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges from mansion construction issues for which he did not receive city approval. Two months later, he was sentenced to 200 hours of community service, summoned to return $14,191 to the City of Los Angeles in damages and fined $3,000.
Mohamed Represented Jordan in the Olympics
In addition to his real estate career, Mohamed also has an affinity for speed skiing. In 1992, Mohamed — who was 43 at the time — competed in the demonstration at the 1992 Winter Olympics and represented Jordan. He remains the sole person to have represented Jordan in the Winter Olympics.
Mohamed Has Been Married Twice and Had a Failed Engagement
Mohamed was first married to Mary Butler and the twosome welcomed two daughters: Marielle and Alana. After their split in 1992, Mohamed moved on with Yolanda whom he wed in 1994. The duo remained together until their divorce in 2000.
In 2014, Mohamed got engaged to model Shiva Safai. The former couple, who had a 33-year age gap, appeared on the reality series Second Wives Club together which aired in 2017. Mohamed and Safi ended their relationship in 2019.
Mohamed Has Six Kids
Mohamed became a father for the first time in 1980 following the arrival of Marielle. He and Butler then welcomed Alana in 1985. In 1995, Mohamed and Yolanda welcomed their first child together, Gigi. They later expanded their family with Bella and Anwar in 1996 and 1999, respectively.
In May 2025, Gigi and Bella revealed that they discovered they had a half-sister on their father’s side named Aydan Nix.
“Over 20 years ago, our dad, while single, had a brief relationship that led to a pregnancy,” Gigi and Bella told the Daily Mail in a statement. “Aydan was born and raised in Florida, growing up with the man she lovingly knew as her father until his sudden passing when she was 19.”
Following the death of Nix’s father, she “decided to take a genetic test out of curiosity” and discovered her “biological connection” to Gigi and Bella. (Nix’s mother is Terri Hatfield Dull.)
“We first connected in late 2023, and from that moment on, we’ve embraced Aydan with open arms,” the statement continued. “She’s spent time with all of us, including our dad, and we’ve cherished this unexpected and beautiful addition to our family.”
Read the full article here
