‘Bling Empire’ Kelly Mi Li Talks New Show and Her Toughest Role Yet 

Remember the glitz and the glamour of Netflix’s Bling Empire? Thank Kelly Mi Li for that slice of ultra-wealthy Asian American reality heaven. As an executive producer and star of the show, Mi Li brought us three seasons of affluence and Asian culture before trading LA’s spotlight for suburban Bay Area mom life with daughter Mili, partner William, and her mom in tow.

Mi Li opens up on No Guide for This (with hosts Jen Hayes Lee and Sasha Smith) about her journey into motherhood, from blending Chinese traditions with modern parenting practices and navigating challenging mom moments.

Mi Li is keeping it real about the beauty and the beast that is motherhood. She also shares the story of how she met her husband on a corner while filming Bling Empire—a meet-cute worthy of a reality show itself. 

Before motherhood, there was the glitz of ‘Bling Empire’

Mi Li never saw herself as a reality television star. Initially a scripted producer, she was inspired after reading Crazy Rich Asians and realized, “These characters are like friends of mine in real life.” When production asked her to join her friend group on camera, history was made—Bling Empire became the first all-Asian unscripted show to hit mainstream media.

Now she’s developing something fresh with her talk show Stir the Pot, inspired by family traditions and hot pot’s communal vibe. “I want to do something more me. Invite guests over, share a beautiful hot pot, and talk about life, culture, and whatever we want,” she says. 

The show will focus on motherhood: “Motherhood is a crazy experience. It just connects people,” she says. Different from Bling Empire, Mi Li’s talk show allows room for conversations from guests of diverse backgrounds. Some of Mi Li’s guests so far include The Bachelorette’s Jenn Tran, actress Lindsay Price, Girlfriends icon Golden Brooks, and The Brothers Sun Netflix star Sam Song Li.

Letting go of expectations about motherhood

Motherhood differed from Kelly’s expectations. Mi Li explains, “I thought I could do it all. I am super orderly and structured. Everything has to be in my calendar. I thought after having kids, it would be the same.”

Daily mom life has Mi Li constantly juggling like a circus clown—far from the Type A life she’s used to. Now that her daughter is 22 months old, it’s gotten better, but Mi Li admits she was not prepared. And breastfeeding? “It was the hardest thing of my life. I really, really tried, but my milk was just not flowing. The pumping, the feeding, the bottle washing—it’s a lot.”

For mothers feeling inadequate seeing those perfect Instagram moms, Mi Li is with you: “I see women, after giving birth, who are out and their hair is done and their nails are done—and it can make me feel like, ‘What am I doing wrong?’”

Life as a new mom 

After delivery, Mi Li embraced confinement—a 30-day period where you don’t go outside. Confinement allows moms to focus on healing their bodies and bond with their child. “It really felt healing. Our bodies go through a lot in birth. I don’t think Western culture puts a lot of emphasis on healing,” she says.

Mi Li admits wholeheartedly that getting back to work after giving birth was not easy. “I would be lying if I said it was easy. I always thought I’d be back to work after a couple of weeks, but I can honestly say it took me a year and half to get back to work fully,” Mi Li explains.

Although she always wanted to be a mom, at one point, she thought it just might not be in the cards for her. “I froze my eggs during the pandemic, and it was the perfect time. I don’t regret it. I was having so much anxiety with my age and not having a partner to have kids with.”

Despite her worries, fate had other plans. Mi Li froze her eggs at 34 and conceived  her daughter naturally at 38. Now she says those frozen eggs are an insurance policy for her second or third child. “Being a mom is a beautiful thing. Nothing can replace it. People always say that, but now that I have experienced it, I really get it,” she adds.

Blending traditional and modern parenting practices

Both Mi Li and her partner are Chinese, which simplifies certain cultural aspects of parenting. “We did not need to explain a lot of things. I get his mom, and he understands my mom. It makes things easier with parenting too. For sure, there is a learning curve that we don’t have to deal with,” Mi Li explains.

Mi Li, who was born in China, says there are some traditions she wants to teach her daughter. She wants to teach her about the Chinese holidays, the food that goes along with them, and the history behind each dish. During Lunar New Year, Mi Li recalls making dumplings from scratch with her mom. “Dumplings and mooncakes—I want to be able to experience these things with my daughter,” she says.

Mi Li also wants her daughter to have differences from her own upbringing. One thing she wants to do is encourage her daughter to embrace creativity. “Not everything has to be black and white. I want my daughter to think outside the box, which in Chinese culture, it’s a bit more strict,” she says.