Salma Hayek Slams the Assumption That She Married Her Billionaire Husband for Money

Salma Hayek is a successful actress in her own right, but she’s also had to deal with the stigma surrounding her marriage to billionaire François-Henri Pinault. They’ve been married for 15 years now, but that doesn’t seem to stop her critics from claiming that she’s only sticking around for his money. 

The 58-year-old actress is clearing the air about this stereotypical misconception about marrying a man for his fortune because she’s earned a tidy sum all on her own. “I support a lot of the aspects of my life and myself,” she admitted to The Wall Street Journal. “I have the pressure to make a certain amount of money, and I like it. And now, I decided, I want to make more.”

The couple does not have a prenuptial agreement, and they keep their money separate, per her interview. What she does know is that she loves earning her own fortune. “To me, the excitement about having a lot of money was that I didn’t have to think about money, and it turned out all people wanted to talk to me about was money,” she explained about her life after marrying the chief executive of Kering, the fashion behemoth for brands including Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Balenciaga, and Bottega Veneta.

This isn’t the first time The Eternals star has addressed the money issue with Pinault. She spoke about the hot topic in February 2021 on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expertpodcast. “You know, when I married him, everybody said, ‘Oh, it’s arranged marriage, she married him for the money,'” Hayek shared. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, whatever, b***h- think what you want.’ Fifteen years together, and we are strong in love. And I don’t even get offended, I’m like, ‘Yeah, whatever.'”

She also praised her fashion executive husband for really adding more dimension to her life. “You know the thing is that in pictures you cannot begin to guess the magic in him – he’s made me become a much better person, and grow in such a good, healthy way,” Hayek added. So, critics should realize that there’s more to her relationship than a bank account — Hayek and Pinault have amassed their personal fortunes through their hard work and talent. And yes, there’s a lot of love between them.

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