RIP to George Clooney’s Lake Como Villa Era, and Other Celebrity Real Estate News
In our biweekly breakdown of what’s happening with famous people’s homes: internet sleuths trace a listing back to Jeremy Strong, and Kanye West is sued over the remodel of his Tadao Ando–designed mansion.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. George Clooney was (allegedly) tired of the paparazzi attention he received while staying at his Lake Como villa, so sell he must. Elsewhere, Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady have competing Florida property announcements, and a StreetEasy listing for a condo in Brooklyn—featuring a conspicuous display of acting awards—sparked a tidy little real estate mystery. Let’s get into it.
- It’s the end of an era. George Clooney, a name that has been synonymous with "Lake Como villa" for over two decades, has reportedly decided to sell his Lake Como villa. Rumors that the actor might sell have come and gone over the years, most notably after his marriage to Amal Clooney brought an unwanted increase in paparazzi to the area in 2015, but according to an insider who spoke to Page Six, the rumors are now true. The source claims that unrelenting paparazzi are still the primary reason for the move (the couple may purchase another property in a less attention-grabbing area of Italy), but the asking price probably doesn’t hurt, either. Clooney reportedly bought the 18th-century villa for either $7 or $10 million (there are conflicting reports) in 2002 and listed it this month for $107 million. The sale is "very quiet," the insider said. "No advertising. No press—just high net worth [prospective buyers]."
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Not "very quiet" is Gisele Bündchen’s recent $9.1 million purchase of a South Florida home. Originally built in the 1970s, the slick 5,200-square-foot house has been extensively renovated and modernized, and the grounds include two equestrian rings with a 10-stall barn, a full soccer field, an infinity pool, an outdoor kitchen, and a man-made pond (with fish). The property is the subject of a Wall Street Journal photo essay, and, perhaps, this People article about Bündchen buying a farm—location not mentioned—where her daughter can ride horses without being photographed. Chad Bishop, one of the listing agents, told WSJ that the Brazilian model plans to host horses, chickens, and other farm animals. "They will make it a real animal-friendly property," he said; a dream come true for Bündchen’s budding equestrian daughter. Do you think Bündchen would consider adopting me?
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Not to be outdone, Bündchen’s ex, Tom Brady, also has his own South Florida property news. A set of renderings for his planned waterfront mansion, in the gated community where Jeff Bezos also has a home, were obtained by The Real Deal. It’ll have a waterfront pool and spa, an outdoor kitchen, and gardens. It looks beautiful, in a cold, manly, concrete sort of way. We hope he can find happiness there. (Please nod respectfully, so Brady doesn’t get jealous about how we’d rather live on Gisele Bündchen’s farm.)
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Speaking of the gated communities in South Florida that apparently everyone is obsessed with, we have an update for you: Lionel Messi has finally purchased some property in the area, although not, as was rumored, near his teammate Sergio Busquets in Sea Ranch Lakes. Instead, the soccer star opted for Bay Colony, a community about five miles from Inter Miami’s stadium. It doesn’t have its own police force like Sea Ranch Lakes, though; sadly, Messi will have to make do with its measly 24-hour security.
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We have a Katy Perry update for you, too. Remember how she’s publicly battling an elderly veteran for the ability to purchase his home? It looks like she’s going to have to take the stand and testify in the trial on September 27. According to Radar Online, Perry will be questioned by the veteran’s legal team for an hour and 20 minutes, and then for another 30 minutes by her lawyer. Though a pop star battling an 83-year-old man for his home seems like a difficult case to win, at least in the court of public opinion, you have to remember this about Perry: she’s got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire, 'cause she is a champion, and you're gonna hear her roar. So we’ll see!
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Kanye West is also involved in a lawsuit, you may or may not be surprised to hear. He’s being sued by Tony Saxon, a project manager he hired to oversee the remodel of his Tadao Ando–designed Malibu home, which had reportedly fallen into disrepair. Saxon alleges he was working 16-hour days and sleeping on the floor of West’s home, and was only paid for one week’s worth of work before he was fired for refusing to remove the home’s windows and electricity (while moving several large generators indoors), which he (understandably) concluded would be quite dangerous. He’s suing West for labor code violations, unpaid wages, and damages.
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A StreetEasy listing for a $1.899 million three-bedroom South Williamsburg condo ignited a mystery last week when the eagle-eyed Casey Lewis spotted two Emmys, two SAG awards, and a Golden Globe in one of the home’s photographs. Who could this award-winning seller be? Some additional clues: the photographs also show three baby cribs, and a toy that spelled out AGATHE. Hmmmm. Do you have a guess? Would you like me to just tell you? Well okay, the answer is Jeremy Strong. Find out how the mystery was solved over at Curbed.
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Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kyle Richards had to issue an Instagram Story cease and desist against her fans this week, after they cyberbullied Amanda Frances, the new owner of her former Bel Air mansion. Frances has been sharing renovations she’s made to the home on social media, which has upset some RHOBH fans who are apparently quite sentimental about the home they saw on Bravo, and who have taken it upon themselves to contact Frances and complain. "I realize some people feel an ‘attachment’ to this home for seeing it so many years on RHOBH," Richards wrote in her post, "but PLEASE be respectful. This is their home now and they have done a beautiful job renovating it." Very strange situation, I have to say. It’s not as if they’re tearing down fellow Bravolebrity Heather Dubrow’s etched window featuring four birds (one for each of her children) and two eggs (for her frozen embryos). Now that would be a crime!
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Finally, and perhaps speaking of crimes, I have a question for you. Where do you stand on Drew Barrymore’s actions as of late? I’m not talking about her doubling down on and then, luckily, rescinding her plan to cross the WGA’s picket line and film her daytime talk show. I’m talking about her decision to wallpaper her ceiling. The design choice was showcased in the video she posted, and then removed, on Instagram, and it sparked an outcry from wallpapered-ceiling haters around the country. I have to agree that I would never wallpaper my ceiling. But if we can’t let Drew Barrymore have her talk show during a historic strike, perhaps we can at least let her have this?
Top photos courtesy (clockwise from top left): David Livingston/Getty Images; Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images; Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Gaia Herbs
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