Warren Buffett's Granddaughter Claimed He Cut Her Off And She Couldn't Afford Health Insurance: 'He Disowned My Twin Sister And Myself'

Warren Buffett's granddaughter Nicole Buffett says she was cut off financially and emotionally after speaking publicly about wealth inequality. Nicole, who was legally adopted by Buffett's son Peter, described how her relationship with her grandfather soured after she appeared in "The One Percent," a 2006 documentary by Johnson & Johnson JNJ heir Jamie Johnson.

"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 told Reuters in 2008.

Despite not being biologically related, Nicole spent time with Warren growing up. She recalled receiving a $100 bill from him for Christmas when she was 5 and being given a private tour of the See's Candies factory. The family also vacationed at Warren's Laguna Beach home twice a year. 

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But while she experienced glimpses of the Buffett lifestyle, she was also expected to be financially independent. Warren covered her six-figure college tuition but maintained a strict policy of funding only education-related expenses. When she once asked for help buying a futon, his secretary reportedly reminded her of the rule.

In a 2008 Marie Claire article, Nicole described how being cut off left a permanent divide. "For him to discard me like that was devastating. It permanently divided our family," she said. She also explained that she was unaware of the full scope of Warren's wealth until she was 17 when he appeared on the cover of Forbes as America's richest man.

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Her decision to participate in "The One Percent" was a breaking point. Nicole spoke about wealth inequality and her grandfather's philosophy on money, saying in the documentary, "Money is the spoke in my grandfather's wheel of life." Soon after, she received a letter from Warren stating: "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." To make it even clearer, he signed the letter "Warren" instead of "Grandpa."

Nicole later appeared on "Oprah," further discussing the family's financial views. Warren, who has publicly committed to donating the majority of his fortune to charity rather than passing it down to his children and grandchildren, was reportedly unhappy with the attention.

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In the Marie Claire interview, Nicole revealed was living on $40,000 a year without cable TV or health insurance, far from what most people imagine when they hear the Buffett name. "The first thing most people think of when they hear my last name is money," she said.

Despite being cut off, she has since found success in the NFT art world, creating a series called Spirit Coins, which combines her traditional art background with digital technology. While her financial ties to the Buffett empire have been severed, Nicole has carved out her own path, even if it looks nothing like the life she once knew.

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