Here Are All the Ways Tinsley Mortimer Makes Her Money (No, Her Wealth Does Not Come Entirely From Her Family)

Be honest with us: Are you more surprised that Gossip Girl is coming back or that Real Housewives of New York is still on the air? What we're trying to get over is that both of these shows have more in common than just stuffy Manhattan.

Remember when RHONY star Tinsley Mortimer, 43, made a cameo on Season 2 of Gossip Girl? Yeah, we didn't either. But because we've been very curious about how Tinsley supports herself financially post-divorce, it led us into a hole of asking more important questions than Who names a child Tinsley?

Let's debrief what we've learned about how Tinsley makes her money.

We recently watched as the RHONY ladies were out to eat with Tinsley and then kind of ganged up against her for claiming that she'd broken up with ex-boyfriend Scott Kluth, when they thought she was hiding the fact that they were still together.

"I am not hiding a-ny-thing," Tinsley enunciates, getting up in the ladies' faces. It quickly comes out that the reason they think she's got secrets up her sleeve is that she's been spending a ton of money on very expensive shoes, bags, dresses, you name it.

The ladies' implication is: How are you still shopping if you're not with that man anymore? Oh dear.

This kind of goes back to our first rhetorical question of the day, in which we pondered how a show like RHONY is still on the air today. And even though we're not exactly Tins' biggest fans, we're moved to defend her on this one.

Like, back off and let her buy all the things she wants! How is that any of the other ladies' business? Especially when they have more than enough to provide for themselves and their families. What, are they jealous?

As it were — and not that she owes anyone an explanation — Tinsley doesn't have to rely on Scott for money. But she does owe the greater part of her wealth to her family inheritance. "Thank you, Mommy," she said in an episode of Watch What Happens Live. 

Tinsley was born to a very wealthy family of South Carolina socialites and grew up in Virginia before making her way to the New York socialite scene. Of her experience, she wrote the novel Southern Charm, which might have inspired the Bravo series of the same name.

But that's not all when it comes to Tinsley's creative ventures. Like we said earlier, Tins appeared in Gossip Girl, and then after her acting debut, she scored her own short-lived (but honestly amazing, trust us and give it a rewatch) reality series, High Society. 

Still, she married into more old money (we're talking, like, oil money) when she got together with her ex-husband Robert Livingston "Topper" Mortimer, and probably got to cash a cute check after their split. 

We're not sure if you're convinced, but this pretty much tells us everything we needed to know in terms of how Tins got her money. She came from a wealthy family, and then she married into an even wealthier one. Then she scored some reality shows and wrote a book. Those checks must add up!

But why stop there when one has as lavish a sense of taste as Tinsley? So when she's not on TV, Tinsley is busy designing fashion! She has a line of handbags called Samantha Thavasa by Tinsley Mortimer, and a clothing collection called Riccimie by Tinsley Mortimer. Both are based in Japan, which is extra chic. 

Plus, as she often mentions, she's single and doesn't have any dependents (other than her cute dogs, of course) to support financially! #Goals

You know what, ladies at the table yelling at Tinsley for her romantic life? This woman is worth a cool $35 million, so it's a stretch to think she's avoiding breaking up with some guy because she wants his money.

Tinsley, my friends, is doing just fine. 

Watch Tinsley and the rest of the Real Housewives of New York City, Thursdays at 9 p.m. on Bravo.