A new three-part documentary exploring the life of the real ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ has brought fresh testimony from former Stratton Oakmont staff, who describe working for Jordan Belfort as everything from ‘inspiring’ to outright ‘mayhem’.
The Paramount+ series, The Real Wolf of Wall Street, premiered on July 14, 2026, and revisits Belfort’s rise at Stratton Oakmont before the fraud and money laundering operation that eventually sent him to prison.
While many people know Belfort through Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance in the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street, the new documentary aims to tell the story from the perspective of people who were actually there.
Along with internal FBI files and previously unseen footage, the series also features interviews with former employees, including ex-finance staffer Donna Schlessinger, who is speaking publicly about her experience for the first time.
In the documentary, Schlessinger explains that she joined Stratton Oakmont after being introduced to Belfort through a friend and being offered a ‘very attractive salary,’ as quoted by People.
Another former Stratton Oakmont stockbroker, Dwayne Jackson, has also said he made a staggering $30,000 in a single month.
Schlessinger says Belfort’s morning meetings could be motivating and energetic, setting the pace for the workday.
“I don’t think anybody realizes that they’re a part of a cult while they’re in the cult.”
She remembers being struck on her first day by the expensive cars parked outside, including Mercedes models, a Ferrari and a Tesla Rosa. Inside, she says the atmosphere was chaotic, filled with “men on the phone yelling, screaming, hustling and bustling,” before tipping further into ‘sexism, condescension’ and ‘the objectification of women’.
The excess did not stop once the workday ended. According to Schlessinger, Belfort also held lavish parties at his home, serving guests ‘lobsters and champagne’.
“You have to understand, I had only worked in legit professional environments. So, was this typical? Was this normal? This was not.”
She adds that the workplace culture, especially toward women, would be completely unacceptable now.
“Women really weren’t put in important positions,” she adds. “All the decisions got made by men.”
Schlessinger says many of the brokers believed they were involved in something significant and saw access to Belfort’s world as a form of status.
“I don’t think anyone really believed that there was something coming, looming. And even if they did know, I don’t think they really thought it would ever end.”
But the collapse did come. Belfort was arrested in September 1998 on money laundering and securities fraud charges. He later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years in prison on July 18, 2003.
Former Stratton Oakmont partners and brokers are also revisiting the story in the documentary’s release, with some describing the firm as a place where the line between ambition and self-destruction disappeared fast.
The Real Wolf of Wall Street is currently streaming on Paramount+.
Belfort has been approached for comment.