Candice Miller, the infamous luxury influencer behind the Mama & Tata lifestyle blog, began the new year by auctioning off the belongings of her former husband, Brandon Miller, a high-profile real estate developer who took his own life on July 4, 2024.
The auction includes several items from the couple’s once-opulent life, including everything from modern art to custom furniture made for their Hamptons mansion.
Highlights
- Candice Miller is auctioning her late husband's belongings to pay off a $33.6 million family debt.
- Brandon Miller left a note indicating his suicide was a desperate attempt to relieve his family's debt.
- The luxury auction features eclectic items from their Hamptons home, attracting collectors and design enthusiasts.
After Brandon passed away, Candice and his two daughters were reportedly left with $33.6 million in debt, and while almost half of that amount was covered by his life insurance policies, the family’s financial troubles have not been resolved.
Far from being sympathetic to Candice’s situation, netizens have instead accused her of being a “social climber,” focused mainly on using her late husband’s money and status to create a dream life for herself—even if they couldn’t afford it.
“I'm guessing she put tremendous pressure on her husband to make a lot of money so she could keep up appearances that they were rich,” one user said.
Widowed socialite Candice Miller is auctioning off the belongings of her deceased husband, Brandon Miller, in order to pay for her family’s debt
Image credits: Yuchen Liao/Getty Images
The auction website promotes the sale as “a unique opportunity to bid on eclectic and high-end items from a beautifully designed Hamptons home.”
It features 225 items including everything from rare art pieces to beautiful furniture pieces, exercise equipment, garden decorations, and other appliances.
Remnants of the couple’s happier days can be seen in both the most expensive and the cheapest of the items offered, with the highest price belonging to an acrylic painting of a child’s ballet dress by Ewa Bathelier, and the lowest belonging to a simple $1 kid’s multi-use art board.
Image credits: Bespoke Real Estate
“For collectors and design enthusiasts, this is an unmissable opportunity to acquire rare, beautifully curated items,” the description ends.
Among the items with the most bids are a collection of 10 dining chairs, the aforementioned ballet dress painting, an oil on canvas painting, and a Tony Duquette custom chandelier. Interestingly enough, the most followed item is a cashmere throw blanket made in Mongolia, going for as little as $37.
The sale is located in Water Mill, New York, and will close next Tuesday (January 7).
Brandon Miller’s passing was seemingly a desperate attempt on his part to provide his wife with the funds necessary to relieve them of debt
Image credits: Sora Shimazaki/Pexels (Not the actual photo)
When Brandon Miller made the fatal decision to poison himself, he seemed to have had their family’s best interests in mind. According to reports by first responders, he was found unconscious in his car, holding a photo of himself, his wife, and their children.
He left a note for his family expressing that he believed he was doing what was best for them, specifically mentioning the $15 million payout they would be awarded as a result of his death.
Image credits: AuctionNinja
The drastic action would also presumably nullify a number of debts and lawsuits being levied against Brandon.
Candice and Brandon married in 2009 after being childhood friends for years. They enjoyed a comfortable and luxurious life but struggled to financially sustain their lifestyle after experiencing a number of investment setbacks.
Image credits: AuctionNinja
After Brandon’s departure, Candice had to pay $4 million to settle a lawsuit over an unpaid loan and dealt with a second lawsuit for unpaid rent for their apartment, totaling over $194,881.
Image credits: AuctionNinja
She was able to cash in the $15 million from Brandon’s life insurance, which, coupled with the sale of their Hamptons mansion in December of last year, allowed her to recoup close to $20 million.
While the mansion was listed for $15.49 million in August 2024, the property was reportedly saddled with five mortgages totaling nearly $12 million.
Candice and her daughters moved to a Miami Beach seaside property. Her lifestyle blog continues to be closed
Image credits: AuctionNinja
Candice Miller and her two daughters have since been living in a $10 million 2,800 square-foot condominium overlooking the ocean on Miami Beach.
The property is owned by an LLC affiliated with Alexander von Furstenberg, the son of renowned Belgian fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg.
Image credits: AuctionNinja
Candice was the founder of a lifestyle and motherhood blog called Mama & Tata, as well as being a familiar face on the Hamptons social scene, known to hang around the likes of Rachel Zoe, Ivanka Trump, and the Olsen twins.
Her followers enjoy living vicariously through her, experiencing her lavish lifestyle and shopping at high-end stores like East Hampton’s Chanel and Dior.
The Mama & Tata social media accounts were deactivated shortly after Brandon’s passing and remain so to this day.
Netizens had little sympathy for the socialite, with some accusing her of knowing of her husband’s suffering and doing nothing about it
Image credits: Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images
“I could care less about this woman's supposed plight! A majority of the uber-wealthy are selfish, greedy people who play a big role in why the ‘playing field’ is not level!” a reader argued.
“Are we supposed to feel sorry for her?” another one asked. “My supply of empathy and sympathy for her situation is empty. She has $15M plus some funds from the sale of the house and a bevy of friends in the 1% tax bracket who are funding her lifestyle.”
“She enjoyed riding the pony until she couldn't. Screw her,” wrote a reader.
“Not quite sure I can feel sorry for her. My husband and I worked hard for our money and to put our sons through college. We had real jobs. We didn’t influence anyone,” another said.
“Maybe she should try working a real job.”
"Pathetic." Netizens were unmoved by Candice's plight, feeling she played a part in her husband's downward spiral
