Why Warren Buffett cut off glamorous granddaughter after she spoke out about their family's wealth

Daily Mail​

11-06-2025

Nicole Buffett, the adopted granddaughter of billionaire investor Warren Buffett, grew up as part of one of the richest families in America - only to be dramatically disowned by the business magnate.
The artist, 49, and her twin sister were both adopted by Buffett's son Peter - a composer for commercials and films - after he married their singer-songwriter mother when they were just four years old.
As a child, Nicole spent a lot of time at Buffett's home in Omaha, Nebraska, where she caught her first glimpses of his wealth.
She recalled that in one instance around Christmas, when she was only five years old, Buffett, now 94, handed her a fresh $100 bill from his wallet, per Marie Claire.
She was also once given a private tour of the See's Candies factory the billionaire owned and was taken twice a year for a family vacation at Buffet's compound in Laguna Beach.
Nicole claimed that she and her grandfather - who has a net worth of $153.9 billion - had forged a close bond and she previously reflected on a moment in which he had said he was 'very proud' of her regarding her work as an artist.
She recalled it being 'a big deal' for him to 'communicate on such an emotional level.'
Nicole, who is now a renowned creative, is now set to speak later this month at the Global Woman Summit 2025 in London to discuss reimagining creativity, legacy and wealth.
Previously discussing her journey, the adopted granddaughter said she was ignorant about the scale of Buffett's fortune until she was 17 when she saw him on the cover of Forbes after clinching the top spot in the magazine's list of richest Americans.
She said her classmates were shocked and her father told her to be prepared for a lot more press about her grandfather.
But the tension between Nicole and Buffet began to rise in 2006 when she appeared in a documentary called The One Percent just a few years after her grandmother Susan's death.
During the film, she spoke openly about wealth inequality and her family's large fortune.
'My grandfather is a very private man and I decided to share what it's like to be his granddaughter and it created a huge estrangement from him to the extent that he disowned my twin sister and myself,' she said at the time.
However, though Buffett didn't comment on her interview directly, in the immediate aftermath a source close to the family said the billionaire thought Nicole exaggerated their relationship.
'She doesn't seem to mention this history and instead gives the impression that she was born a Buffett,' the source told Reuters at the time.
'Mr Buffett saw the girls very infrequently when his son was married to their mother.
'I don't think he feels ill toward her. She was adopted by his son, he didn't adopt her... I never got the impression they were a big part of his life.'
The cracks continued to deepen when Nicole appeared on Oprah and confessed more of her feelings regarding being a Buffett.
'It would be nice to be involved with creating things for others with that money and to be involved in it. I feel completely excluded from it,' she revealed, per Marie Claire.
However, her grandfather was less than impressed with her comments.
Just over a month after her Oprah interview, Buffett sent Nicole a letter that left her stunned.
'People will react to you based on that "fact" rather than who you are or what you have accomplished,' he wrote.
The billionaire declared: 'I have not emotionally or legally adopted you as a grandchild, nor have the rest of my family adopted you as a niece or a cousin.'
Nicole was deeply hurt by the letter, adding: 'He signed the letter "Warren." 'I have a card from him just a year earlier that's signed "Grandpa."'
Following the sensational dispute, Peter said of the tension: 'I don't have an easy answer for where my father is coming from but I know I can't change the spots on a leopard.'
Filmmaker Jamie Johnson - the creator behind the documentary - urged Nicole to sit for a follow-up interview that was added as an emotional postscript to the film.
'To pretend like we don't have a familial relationship is not based in reality. I've spent years of my life at his home in Omaha. I'm shocked and hurt,' Nicole said.
Despite spending many holidays with the family as a child and believing she was fully accepted Nicole says the letter was 'devastating.'
'For him to discard me like that was devastating. It permanently divided our family,' she detailed.
Despite the estrangement, Warren's late wife Susan included Nicole and her twin sister in her will - leaving her $100,000 and referring to her as an 'adored granddaughter.'
Buffett, who famously plans to give away 99 percent of his $153.9 billion fortune to charity, has long emphasized that his children and grandchildren should earn their own way.
He paid for Nicole's education, but when she once requested a futon for her apartment, the reply was blunt: 'You know what the rules are: school expenses only.'
After the fallout, Nicole said that she struggled financially.
She lived on just $40,000 a year, had no cable TV or health insurance, and sold paintings to make ends meet.
It wasn't until years later that the two reconnected.
During the pandemic, Warren reportedly reached out to Nicole after seeing her success in the NFT art space, per CoinDesk.
He praised her work in an email which marked the first warm contact they'd had in over a decade.
She has since been recognized by Fortune Magazine as one of the Top 50 Influencers in the NFT space.
Still, there is no sign their relationship has fully healed.