Tori Spelling Stuck in Debts & Living in Motel with 5 Kids, despite Dad Leaving $600M: What Happened

• Tori Spelling's dad was renowned film and TV producer Aaron Spelling.
• People mocked Tori for having a multi-millionaire father while she struggled with debt and misfortune through her years as an actress.
• Despite her father and mother's riches, Tori recently had to live in a motel with her five kids after separating from her husband of 17 years.

Tori Spelling is best known for the hit shows "Beverly Hills, 90210," "90210," and "BH90210." However, she was first known as the daughter of famous film producer Aaron Spelling.

Aaron Spelling is an award-winning producer responsible for several hit movies and shows, including "Charlie's Angels," "Dynasty," "Charmed," and "Beverly Hills, 90210." He owned several production companies and had a sizeable net worth when he passed away in 2006 at 83.

Aaron was one of the most successful producers of all time. He had two children, Randy and Tori, who had everything they could want and need growing up.

The Spellings lived in a vast property in Los Angeles now worth $165 million. They were rich and famous, and even when Tori tried downgrading her lifestyle, it was difficult for her to do so because of the lifestyle she became accustomed to growing up.

What Happened to Aaron Spelling's Money?

Aaron died in 2006. At the time of his demise, he was worth a whopping $600 million. However, many were surprised to discover he only left his two children $800,000 each.

After the producer's death, a family feud ensued between Aaron's widow, Candy, and her daughter Tori. Tori said she rarely saw her dad, and her mother did not update her about his failing health.

Tori also accused her mother of spending time with a male friend and said she only discovered her dad died when a friend contacted her. Worse still, her name was left out of the family statement when they announced the producer's death.

Candy was hurt by the accusations her daughter made, calling them "mean-spirited and hurtful."

Candy, the executor of her late husband's will, gave Tori what was rightfully hers: $800,000. While it'd be easy to assume Tori would be shocked by the small amount, she claimed she already knew.

Tori had expensive spending habits following her hit show "90210." She spent hundreds of thousands shopping, and it led her to debt. Her father knew of her patterns and wanted to ensure it would not happen again.

On "Good Morning America," she revealed that before her dad died, he told her she'd be getting under a million from him. "You're gonna be okay," her dad said.

Tori was the first to admit that she wanted things to be different. She felt terrible for thinking that way, but she acknowledged it anyway, saying:

"I hated myself for hoping it would be different because I didn't want to take advantage, I didn't want to be that girl who needed or wanted my dad's money."

Ultimately, most of Aaron's estate went to his wife, Candy. While Tori and Candy rekindled their relationship when the actress gave birth to her son Liam, she doesn't think her mom will ever support her grandchildren financially.

Despite her inherited wealth, Candy has yet to move money around significantly. She only did this when she sold the Spelling family home, the biggest single-family home in Los Angeles.

The Spelling home is on the market for $165 million. It's an estate bigger than the Taj Mahal and the White House, with 14 bedrooms and 27 bathrooms across four and a half acres.

She also continued to work after receiving her husband's money. Candy wrote an autobiography and a memoir, producing a Broadway theater show and two reality TV shows.

Other than Candy, Tori, and Randy, some non-family members reportedly received money from Aaron's estate. An interior decorator allegedly received $50,000, while an esthetician got $25,000.

Through it all, Tori has had to find other means to raise her children with ex-husband Dean McDermott. In 2014, she admitted to living "paycheck-to-paycheck," worrying about putting her kids through private school.

Candy reportedly offered to pay for her grandchildren's tuition multiple times, but Tori never accepted. She also refuses to change her lifestyle, claiming her dad wouldn't have wanted her to.

Although Tori once claimed she doesn't expect her mother to foot any bills in her household, Candy begged to differ in 2016. After American Express reportedly sued Tori over unpaid bills, Candy said that she footed the bills for the necessities but was not about to pay for her daughter's extravagance.

During this time, Tori and her husband were already experiencing marital problems. This stretched until 2021 when she admitted McDermott was sleeping in a different room at home.

It was reported in the same year that Candy never approved of her son-in-law, which often added to the tension in his marriage with Tori. In 2023, McDermott announced their divorce on Instagram after 17 long years.

Speaking about her unhealthy spending habits, Tori admits it's because of her lavish lifestyle growing up.

Spelling moved out of their family home with her five children and slept in a motel charging $100 a night before eventually moving to a friend's house. While photographed at the motel, the actress shielded her eyes with sunglasses, knowing paparazzi were around.

Even after leaving the family home and despite the financial difficulties she's experienced, Tori was still spotted shopping alongside her children. It is a coping mechanism she's adapted through the years and one she's had difficulty removing from her life.

Things are still difficult for the actress, who is in trouble with the IRS for $1.3 million in unpaid taxes and American Express for an estimated $90,000 in unpaid bills.

Speaking about her unhealthy spending habits, Tori admits it's because of her lavish lifestyle growing up. "I grew up rich beyond anyone's dreams. I never knew anything else," she once said.

Ultimately, all Tori wanted was a normal, secure life filled with family and love. She's now finding comfort in her five children as she navigates yet another challenging part of her life.