President Donald Trump selected Kash Patel to serve as his Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Now that he’s overseeing the FBI, many are curious to learn more about his personal life, including whether Patel is married or has children.
After winning the 2024 election, Trump released a statement via Truth Social, formally nominating Patel to oversee the FBI: “I am proud to announce that Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel will serve as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People.”
Learn more about him below, including details on his personal life.
The FBI needs a serious leader who will clean up our streets and crack down on the cartels who have infiltrated our country and flooded our communities with drugs and violent crime.@Kash_Patel is the man for the job. pic.twitter.com/HxRZJWyOqE
— Tim Sheehy (@TimSheehyMT) January 15, 2025
Who Is Kash Patel?
Patel, born in 1980 to Indian immigrant parents, grew up in Garden City, New York.. He graduated from the University of Richmond in 2002 and later earned a certificate in international law from University College London Faculty of Laws, according to his Facebook page. Patel completed his law degree at Pace University in 2005.
In 2018, the former public defender served as an aide to Rep. Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, where he gained Trump’s favor during the Russia investigation. Trump praised Patel for this in his social media post, stating he “played a pivotal role in uncovering the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution.” In 2019, Patel joined the National Security Council before becoming chief of staff to the acting defense secretary in the final year of Trump’s first term.
Is Patel Married?
Patel is not married, but he is in a relationship with his girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins. In 2014, according to The New York Times, Patel entered and later dropped out of an Above the Law charity bachelor auction benefiting the Switchboard of Miami after a blogger noted that his law license appeared to be outdated in the state.
What Is Patel’s Net Worth?
Patel’s net worth stands at $5 million in 2026, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
How Does Patel Make His Money?
After graduating from law school in 2005, Patel spent eight years working as a public defender in Florida—first with the Miami-Dade County Public Defender’s Office, and later as a federal public defender. In 2014, he joined the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division as a trial attorney, also serving as a legal liaison to the Joint Special Operations Command. Three years later, in 2017, Patel was appointed senior counsel for counterterrorism at the House Intelligence Committee.
Since 2022, Patel has served on the board of Trump Media and Technology Group, which owns Truth Social, and holds a consulting contract reportedly worth at least $120,000 annually.
In addition to his 2023 memoir, Government Gangsters, Patel has published two pro-Trump children’s books.
