Leah Kateb Net Worth – How Love Island Turned Her Into A $5M Power Player

What Is Leah Kateb's Net Worth?

Leah Kateb is an American reality television personality, social media creator, and beauty executive with an estimated net worth of $5 million. Her breakout came after season six of Love Island USA in 2024, and she parlayed that visibility into a booming influencer and business career.

While Kateb and Miguel Harichi finished as runners-up on the show, she left the villa with a huge social following. That attention translated into major partnerships and business opportunities – Forbes estimated she generated $7.1 million in gross creator earnings between March 2025 and March 2026, a figure that helped cement her status among the highest-paid creators.

Early Life – Roots, Family, and Animals

Leah Kateb was born on August 11, 1999, and grew up around Los Angeles in neighborhoods including Calabasas and Bell Canyon, California. She is Persian-American – her parents emigrated from Iran, and Farsi was her first language.

Kateb has long said her Persian background influences her style and humor, and she wove those references into later projects. Animals were a major part of her childhood – she lived with dogs, horses, and pigs and became a vegetarian in her early teens because of that bond with animals. Her love of horses remained a visible part of her public persona.

She attended California State University, Northridge, and when Peacock announced her as a Love Island contestant in 2024, her occupation was listed simply as college student.

Love Island USA – The Villa, the Drama, and the Powerpuff Girls

Leah joined season six of Love Island USA as an original Islander when the series filmed in Fiji, hosted by Ariana Madix. Early in the season she formed a strong connection with Rob Rausch, a relationship that became a primary storyline before it fractured as Rausch pursued other contestants.

Later Kateb coupled with Miguel Harichi, a bombshell arrival whose relationship with Leah grew slowly but steadily and carried them to the finale. They finished second behind winners Serena Page and Kordell Beckham – Kordell is the younger brother of NFL star Odell Beckham Jr.

Even without the trophy, Kateb arguably became the biggest individual breakout of the season. Her blunt humor, emotional reactions, and close friendships with Serena Page and JaNa Craig created viral moments. Fans labeled the trio PPG – short for the Powerpuff Girls – and the season became Peacock's most-watched original reality competition at the time.

Social Media Explosion – Millions Follow and Brands Flock

Kateb's audience exploded while Love Island aired, and within weeks of leaving Fiji she had millions of followers. She quickly outpaced her season peers and developed one of the stronger engagement rates among her generation of reality stars.

That engagement turned into lucrative brand deals. Instead of relying on small campaigns, Kateb began partnering with major brands including L'Oréal, Google, Degree, Jose Cuervo, and Clorox Scentiva. She also became a regular at fashion shows, awards events, and industry activations, and in 2025 she walked in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit runway in Miami.

By 2026 Forbes credited her with roughly 11.4 million followers across platforms – a following that continued to grow well after her initial TV spotlight.

Earnings – The Numbers Behind the Hype

Forbes estimated Leah earned $7.1 million in gross creator income between March 2025 and March 2026. That number reflects ad partnerships, social campaigns, appearances, and expanding business activities rather than take-home pay, and it excludes private-company equity value.

Gross creator income can be heavily reduced by taxes, commissions, legal and production costs, and lifestyle spending. Still, the $7.1 million figure shows an earning power far beyond most reality-TV contestants relying mainly on appearance fees.

Skylar – From Fan Post to Chief Creative Officer

In July 2025 Kateb made a defining move by joining clean-fragrance brand Skylar as its chief creative officer and self-described "refounder." Skylar, founded in 2017, makes hypoallergenic fragrances aimed at sensitive-skin consumers and had been acquired by Starco Brands in December 2022 in a deal valued at about $21.4 million.

What started as an organic social post praising a Skylar scent turned into a deeper partnership. Rather than just lending her name, Kateb was placed inside the company to help reshape it for a new audience, working on scent creation, packaging, photo shoots, aesthetics, and overall creative direction.

"I never expected a reality show to change my life overnight – but it opened doors to build something real, not just a name on a bottle," Kateb said about moving into the beauty business.

Skylar Product Debuts – Signature Scents and Retail Reach

Kateb's first signature Skylar perfume, Double Dates, launched in October 2025 and leaned into her heritage with notes like dates, sticky toffee, and brown sugar. She followed with Pomegranate Princess in 2026 and later released True Love's Cake the same year.

Skylar sells direct-to-consumer and through retailers such as Sephora, Macy's, Nordstrom, and Anthropologie, giving Kateb's creative work immediate commercial channels.

Skylar Equity Deal – More Than a Typical Endorsement

The Skylar agreement was structured with more than a standard celebrity fee. A July 2025 deal gave Skylar exclusive rights to use Kateb's likeness on certain products and compensated her with base pay, royalties, equity grants, and stock options.

Starco Brands approved two million options tied to the agreement, and Kateb was granted 3,000 Class B units in Skylar as profits interests. Those units carry both time-based and performance-based vesting and could, if fully vested, represent the equivalent of 30% of Skylar's then-current membership interests under the filing's structure – though they are not the same as immediately receiving 30% of Skylar's present value.

Still, the package provides meaningful upside if Kateb helps grow the company. Skylar reported about $10.9 million in revenue and $6.2 million in gross profit in 2025, giving concrete context to the potential value of her stake.

Love Island: Beyond the Villa – Fame Continues on Peacock

In 2025 Kateb returned to Peacock for the spinoff Love Island: Beyond the Villa, which followed season-six Islanders as they adjusted to fame, careers, and life in Los Angeles. She appeared alongside Miguel Harichi, Serena Page, JaNa Craig, Kaylor Martin, Kenny Rodriguez, and other former contestants.

The series offered fans a closer look at Kateb's changing life, professional moves, and her relationship with Harichi. She did not remain a main cast member when the spinoff shifted focus to season-seven Islanders for its second season.

Call Her Daddy and Media Appearances – Amplifying the Brand

Right after Love Island, Kateb sat down with Alex Cooper on the wildly popular podcast Call Her Daddy, producing viral clips about her villa experience, past relationships, and life before reality TV. That podcast appearance helped her cross over into wider pop culture conversation.

Since then she has been a frequent guest on podcasts, talk shows, and entertainment programs, and has become a fixture at New York Fashion Week, the Grammys, and major beauty launches. Her candid, conversational style has kept her relevant beyond the show.

Fashion and Style – Turning Wardrobe into Influence

Fashion quickly became part of Kateb's public identity. Viewers and fans closely tracked her Love Island wardrobe, with social accounts devoted to finding the designers and vintage finds she wore in Fiji. Kateb credits her sister Daria with helping shape many of those looks.

As her profile rose, she began sitting front row and collaborating with beauty and clothing brands. Her ability to drive purchases – not just amass followers – is a key reason advertisers value her highly.

Relationship With Miguel Harichi – From Villa Romance to Home Life

Kateb met British reality star Miguel Harichi in the villa, and the two stayed in daily contact after the show despite a transatlantic split. Harichi officially asked her to be his girlfriend on her 25th birthday in August 2024, with Serena Page helping arrange the surprise.

The couple stayed together beyond the typical reality-TV timeline. Harichi eventually moved to California and by late 2025 they purchased a home together that Kateb says has become increasingly filled with animals. As of 2026 they remained partners and have discussed marriage without a public timetable.

Personal Life – Fame, Friends, and Animals

Animals remain central to Kateb's life; she keeps dogs, horses, and other pets and often features them in her social content. She also stayed close with Serena Page and JaNa Craig – the friendship that became one of the season's defining dynamics continues beyond filming.

Kateb has called the transition from anonymous college student to global creator overwhelming at times, and sudden fame even led to fans showing up at her family's house after her address leaked. Still, within roughly two years of leaving Love Island, she transformed into a creator earning millions and an executive with a potentially significant ownership interest in an established beauty brand, giving her multiple paths to build long-term wealth.