Is ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ Based on a True Story?

There are plenty of financial dramas, from Wall Street to The Big Short, but The Wolf of Wall Street stands out as one of the most over-the-top, outrageous stories of them all. Martin Scorcese’s 2013 drama, which tells the story of one stockbroker’s rise to wealth and power, features Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort, a drug-fueled financier who will stop at nothing to make more money.

The movie has its fair share of gasp-worthy scenes, from crazy office parties featuring every drug imaginable, to “dwarf tossing.” All of the action and scandal makes for a great film, but did it all really happen?

We did some digging to find out just how real The Wolf of Wall Street is. Here’s everything to know about the true story behind The Wolf of Wall Street.

IS THE WOLF OF WALL STREET A TRUE STORY?

Yes, the crazy antics you see in The Wolf of Wall Street actually happened. The Wolf of Wall Street true story comes from Jordan Belfort’s 2007 biography of the same name, which recounts his days of white collar crime and financial fraud. Belfort, who is portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie, founded the financial firm Stratton Oakmont, an incredibly successful over-the-counter brokerage house. While running Stratton Oakmont, Belfort used pump and dump schemes with penny stocks, and his firm was eventually shut down in the ’90s.

While The Wolf of Wall Street covers his company’s financial scams and schemes, it also shows some Belfort’s most outrageous antics, which include money laundering, plenty of cocaine use, driving while on quaaludes, crashing a helicopter, sinking a yacht, and more. And according to Time, those wild scenes and more really happened.

WHERE IS THE WOLF OF WALL STREET‘S JORDON BELFORT NOW?

Belfort was imprisoned for his crimes and was sentenced to four years in jail, but was released after only 22 months, according to Investopedia. After he got out, Belfort was ordered to give half of his income to his defrauded investors, paying them through 2009. While federal prosecutors later filed a complaint against Belfort in 2013, alleging he didn’t pay the appropriate amount of his income, he later reached a deal and completed the restitution payments, per Investopedia. Now, Belfort is a motivational speaker who uses his story to share the lessons he learned with his others.

WHERE TO WATCH THE WOLF OF WALL STREET:

Right now, you can watch The Wolf of Wall Street on YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, Prime Video, and FandangoNow. Unfortunately, the movie is not available to stream on platforms like Netflix or Hulu.

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET CAST: WHO STARS IN WOLF OF WALL STREET?

The Wolf of Wall Street brings some very real characters to life with the help of a cast packed with talent. Along with DiCaprio, the hit movie stars Jonah Hill as Donnie Azoff, Margot Robbie as Naomi Lapaglia, Kyle Chandler as FBI Agent Patrick Denham, Rob Reiner as Max Belfort, Jon Bernthal as Brad Bodnick, Matthew McConaughey as Mark Hanna, Jon Favreau as Manny Riskin, Jean Dujardin as Jean-Jacques Saurel, Joanna Lumley as Aunt Emma, Cristin Milioti as Teresa Petrillo, and more.

Where to watch The Wolf of Wall Street