Evanka Franjko is the Croatian-American second wife of Joey Buttafuoco, married since March 5, 2005. Discover her biography, age, background, private life, net worth, and 2026 updates in this comprehensive profile.
Quick Facts: Evanka Franjko at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Evanka Franjko |
| Date of Birth | March 24, 1962 |
| Age (2026) | 64 years old |
| Birthplace | Croatia |
| Nationality | Croatian-American |
| Ethnicity | White/Caucasian |
| Zodiac Sign | Aries |
| Height | 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) |
| Weight | 132 lbs (60 kg) |
| Hair Color | Reddish-blonde |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Education | California State University, Northridge |
| Spouse | Joey Buttafuoco (married March 5, 2005) |
| Previous Marriage | Andrew Torchon (divorced 1998) |
| Children | None (with Joey); one son Nick Torchon from first marriage |
| Residence | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Estimated Net Worth | ~$3 million |
| Sibling | Frank Franjko (brother) |
Evanka Franjko Biography: Early Life and Croatian Roots
Evanka Franjko was born on March 24, 1962, in Croatia, though the exact city of her birth has never been publicly confirmed. She grew up in her Eastern European homeland alongside her brother, Frank Franjko, who remains one of the few family members ever mentioned in connection with her personal life. Details about her parents, childhood environment, and upbringing are essentially absent from the public record — a reflection of the deeply private nature she has maintained throughout her adult years.
At some point, Evanka made the significant decision to relocate to the United States, eventually settling in Los Angeles, California. That move proved pivotal, not only personally but also in terms of her educational pursuits. She went on to attend California State University, Northridge, where she completed her undergraduate studies. This academic chapter placed her squarely in the social and professional landscape of Southern California — the same world where she would later encounter Joey Buttafuoco.
Her transition from Croatia to Los Angeles mirrors a journey many Eastern European immigrants have made, trading familiar surroundings for opportunity in the United States. Evanka, however, never sought fame for that journey. She arrived quietly, built a life for herself, and remained largely out of the spotlight until her marriage to one of America’s most tabloid-famous figures brought the cameras to her doorstep.
Evanka Franjko Age: Where She Stands in 2026
As of 2026, Evanka Franjko is 64 years old, having celebrated her birthday on March 24. Born under the Aries zodiac sign, she carries the characteristic independence and determination often associated with that sign — traits that seem fitting given the way she has navigated life alongside a husband with a complicated public legacy.
While some earlier sources listed conflicting birth years, the most consistently cited and credible date across multiple biographical sources is March 24, 1962. At 64, Evanka continues to reside in the Los Angeles area with her husband Joey Buttafuoco, maintaining the low-profile existence she has always preferred.
Evanka Franjko Croatia: From Eastern Europe to California
Croatia forms the bedrock of Evanka’s identity. Born and raised there during the early 1960s, she spent the formative years of her life in a country that was still part of the former Yugoslavia at the time. Her brother Frank Franjko is the only family member she has ever publicly acknowledged, and even that detail surfaced more through peripheral reporting than through any direct disclosure by Evanka herself.
After completing her secondary schooling in Croatia, Evanka eventually made her way to the United States. Her immigration story is not one she has chosen to broadcast — there are no interviews where she reflects on the experience, no social media threads documenting the adjustment. She simply arrived, built a stable life, pursued her education at CSUN, and became an established member of the Los Angeles community long before Joey Buttafuoco entered the picture.
Her Croatian heritage remains a central part of her identity. Sources consistently describe her as a Croatian-American national, and those who know her personally have referenced her deep connection to her roots, even as she has embraced American life fully.
Evanka Franjko – Joey Buttafuoco Wife: How They Met and Married
The story of how Evanka Franjko became Joey Buttafuoco’s wife is both straightforward and, by the standards of Joey’s life, surprisingly ordinary. The two met in the early 2000s when Evanka visited Joey’s auto body shop in California. What started as a routine business encounter gradually evolved into a romantic relationship, though the precise timeline of their courtship has never been publicly detailed.
Joey Buttafuoco, for those unfamiliar, is an auto body shop owner from Long Island, New York, who became a household name in the early 1990s when Amy Fisher — a 16-year-old girl with whom Joey admitted to having a sexual relationship — shot his then-wife Mary Jo Buttafuoco in the face. The incident turned into one of the most sensational tabloid stories of the decade, spawning multiple made-for-TV movies and cementing Joey’s name in American pop culture infamy. He pleaded guilty to statutory rape and served four months in jail. Mary Jo survived but suffered lasting injuries.
Mary Jo eventually filed for divorce in February 2003, after years of extraordinary loyalty to her husband through his legal troubles and admitted infidelity. Two years later, on March 5, 2005, Joey married Evanka in a private ceremony held at the Rio Casino in Las Vegas. It was a low-key event — notably, adult film star Ron Jeremy was said to have been invited but missed due to a delayed flight — and Evanka’s ex-husband reportedly attended and even gave her away. The unconventional guest list reflected the unconventional world Evanka was stepping into.
The early years of their marriage were not without turbulence. Joey was sentenced to a year in jail in 2004 for auto insurance fraud, just ahead of the wedding. In 2007, Evanka filed for divorce, suggesting the marriage had reached a breaking point. However, she withdrew those divorce papers on June 22, 2007, and the couple reconciled. They have remained together since, clocking over two decades of marriage as of 2026.
In 2008, the couple faced another public embarrassment when Joey reportedly sold a sex tape featuring both of them to the adult entertainment industry — a disclosure that received press coverage and further complicated their public image. Despite this, Evanka stood by the marriage.
Evanka Franjko Private Life: Staying Out of the Spotlight
If there is one defining characteristic of Evanka Franjko beyond her marriage to Joey Buttafuoco, it is her fierce commitment to privacy. In a world where celebrity-adjacent spouses routinely turn their proximity to fame into personal platforms, Evanka has gone the other direction entirely.
She does not give interviews. She does not maintain an active public social media presence. Her Facebook page, once visible to the public, showed glimpses of a genuine, warm personality — she wrote enthusiastically about her love for Halloween in 2019, describing it as her “absolute, hands down, without a doubt, unequivocally favorite holiday,” and mentioned decorating her home year-round in the holiday’s spirit. That same year, she shared that she had been hospitalized with kidney problems, offering a rare personal disclosure. Her last public Facebook post dates to October 2020, after which she retreated from online visibility entirely.
She and Joey do not have children together. Joey has two children — Jessica and Paul — from his first marriage to Mary Jo. Evanka is, however, the godmother of a child named Gabby, which speaks to close personal relationships she maintains outside the public eye. She is described as self-employed, though the exact nature of her work has never been confirmed. One source noted she had worked as a professional private investigation auto repossessor, though this detail has not been widely corroborated.
Her marriage to Andrew Torchon in the 1990s also predates her life with Joey. That union ended in divorce on March 13, 1998. She has a son from that relationship, Nick Torchon, born April 28, 1994.
Evanka Franjko Net Worth: Financial Standing in 2026
Evanka Franjko’s net worth is estimated at approximately $3 million, according to multiple celebrity biography sources. The precise origin of this wealth is unclear, given that her professional career has never been publicly documented in detail. It is believed she manages personal investments and may be involved in self-employed ventures, though she has not confirmed any of this publicly.
Her husband Joey Buttafuoco’s financial situation is far more modest in comparison. Various sources estimate Joey’s net worth at around $20,000 to $300,000 — a reflection of his limited entertainment earnings and the legal costs accumulated over decades of criminal cases. He is prohibited from working in the auto body industry in California for life as part of his 2004 insurance fraud sentencing.
Evanka’s financial independence, if the $3 million estimate is accurate, positions her as the more economically stable partner in the marriage — a dynamic that may partly explain her ability to maintain a grounded, private lifestyle despite her husband’s chaotic public history.
Evanka Franjko 2026 Updates: Life Today
As of 2026, Evanka Franjko and Joey Buttafuoco continue to reside in Southern California, having built a life together that has now stretched past the 20-year mark. The couple, who married in March 2005, have weathered public scandal, a nearly-dissolved marriage, health challenges, and the persistent glare of tabloid interest — and they remain together.
Evanka has not emerged in any notable public capacity in recent years. She maintains no active verified social media presence, has given no known interviews, and has made no public appearances that have generated press coverage. Joey, now 70, has similarly stepped away from media appearances that were more frequent in the 2000s and 2010s.
Their life in Los Angeles appears to be genuinely quiet — a remarkable achievement given Joey’s history. Evanka has seemingly created the stable, low-drama home environment she clearly always valued, even as the world around her marriage was anything but stable for many years. In 2026, the strongest signal of where things stand is simply the absence of news — and for a woman who has always preferred it that way, silence may be the most meaningful update of all.
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