With the doors wide shut: What Russian celebrities are hiding

Moscow is a city of contrasts, a resplendent metropolis where luxury and mystery go hand in hand. Behind the facades of historical mansions and the lights of the night streets, there is another world that is not customary to talk about aloud — here you can meet a variety of people who are surprisingly similar, for example, to Dmitry Dibrov, model Irina Spiridonova and many other recognizable faces. REN-TV's new documentary project "The Secret Life of the Rich and Famous" invites viewers to look beyond glamour and success. The authors of the investigation promise frank confessions, exclusive footage and answers to questions that previously remained behind closed doors. For more information about how the shooting took place, what the journalists learned and how these revelations will turn out for the stars, see the Izvestia article.

What lies behind the glitter of the shop windows

On Sunday, November 9, 2025, the first issue of the long-awaited series of documentary investigations "The Secret Life of the Rich and Famous" was broadcast on the REN TV channel. The following episodes will be released regularly, revealing new facets of the closed life of the capital's elite. The project invites the viewer to look into places where cameras are usually not allowed, and shows how luxury coexists with secrets, and money becomes a passport to the world of permissiveness.

A large-scale investigation began on July 25, 2025. Istra, Moscow region, the elite village of Novakhovo. Men in tuxedos and women in evening dresses gather in the shadows of luxurious mansions. Each guest is given an address and an individual password just a few hours before the start. The measures of secrecy are extremely strict, neither the police nor the journalists who were not invited to the event should have found out about it. It would seem to be an ordinary private party of Moscow bohemians. But it was this evening that became the starting point for the journalistic investigation of REN TV. And it was here that the journalists first met guests who looked remarkably like celebrities such as Dmitry Dibrov and fighter Vladimir Vostretsov.

The debut issue shows how the hidden world of the capital's elite works — from closed clubs to secret meetings, where their own strictly regulated rules are followed. The film crew penetrates this world through trusted insiders and embedded correspondents, capturing details on camera that usually remain outside the public eye.

The authors of the project emphasize that the purpose of the investigation is not to shock the public for the sake of ratings. This is an attempt to show the mechanisms that support the shadowy lives of stars, and to give the viewer the opportunity to understand how the public and hidden lives of famous Muscovites intersect.

Behind the Scenes of the Elite's Secret Life

The documentary special project "The Secret Life of the Rich and Famous" is not limited to superficial observations. One of the central episodes of the first issue is dedicated to an underground party for the capital's elite, Sin City. The journalists found out that such events are held about once every two months, each time in a new location, and maximum secrecy is ensured.

So, in the issue, the investigators found the guests on the 50th floor of one of the towers of the Moscow City business complex. Panoramic apartments, luxury restaurants, and fitness rooms are juxtaposed with secret parties that few people dare to talk about out loud. The ticket price for an ordinary guest starts from 125 thousand rubles, but there are also more expensive statuses — "Premium" for 1,666,650 rubles and "Elite" for 2,777,775 rubles. According to the organizers, you can get almost anything for this money, but it is impossible to get here "from the street". Before entering, each candidate goes through a rigorous selection process: a questionnaire, a personal interview, an analysis of appearance, reputation and social status.

The club's official website promises: "Wet dreams will come true, and secret desires will come out. Admission is by approval only."

The film crew records how the guests begin to gather. On the first floor, a hostess in an elegant black dress with a slit greets them at the elevator. And among the ordinary visitors, journalists notice figures very similar to famous personalities. For example, former Deputy Minister of Economic Development Ilya Torosov, deputy of the Voronezh Regional Duma Artyom Kopylov, plastic surgeon Artyom Sokolov and neuropsychologist Anna Vysotskaya. Another guest resembles the actress and model Irina Spiridonova. Could it be that secret parties are actually attended by representatives of a public society, despite the risk of being caught on camera?

Shock and condemnation

The first issue of the special project "The Secret Life of the Rich and Famous" caused a real flurry of reaction on social networks.

Some drew attention to the double standards of celebrities. "The law on family values was passed, and in the evening we went to a party to strengthen these family values!" the audience wrote, pointing to the gap between public image and private antics.

Other users pointed out that during the country's large-scale problems, "the rich and famous have billions, and someone is looking for compulsory health insurance from ordinary people." There were also more emotional reactions expressing extreme disgust at the behavior of the elite: "People live boring! A flight of thought, like that of a worm. And they lead the same life as the parasites. Basically, they are the parasites of society. Ugh!! What an abomination!" the commentators wrote, emphasizing the sense of cynicism and impunity on the part of celebrities.

Thus, the special project raised important issues of ethics and morality, the role of money and power in the life of the elite and the limits of what is allowed. For many viewers, it was a revelation how carefully the universe of private entertainment is organized and how it differs from the public image of celebrities.

From Moscow to Hollywood: P. Diddy's White Parties

In the context of the new details of the nightlife of Moscow celebrities, it is impossible not to recall the loudest international scandal of recent years — the white parties of P. Diddy. From 1998 to 2009, the producer and artist organized annual private events, which were distinguished by a strict dress code (all guests were in white) and brought together the main rich, Hollywood and hip-hop stars.

In a 1999 interview with Entertainment Tonight, the rapper explained the meaning of parties as "breaking down racial barriers and barriers between generations," and in 2001 told The Independent: "Have I read The Great Gatsby? I am the Great Gatsby!" The parties started in the afternoon and dragged on well past midnight. In 2007, the Daily Mail published photos of P. Diddy with his then partner Kim Porter, holding twins at a "white party." But as night fell, the events turned into adult gatherings, where the most private and scandalous events could take place. Among the guests were Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bieber, Leonardo DiCaprio, and the Kardashian sisters. Many participants are now denying their presence there.

Even 50 Cent himself, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, stated that he avoided contact with P. Diddy and heard about "strange" parties: "I stayed away from this shit for years. There is an unpleasant energy associated with this." Khloe Kardashian later admitted that Justin Bieber was also at the parties, and that "half the people there were bare-assed." According to Leonardo DiCaprio, he participated only partially and did not stay for adult night events, emphasizing that not all parties were "wild."

Comparing this with what we see in The Secret Lives of the Rich and Famous, it becomes obvious that the closed worlds of the elite are built on the same principle — secrecy, strict selection of guests, expensive tickets and an atmosphere of permissiveness. And the public image of celebrities does not always coincide with what happens behind closed doors.