Surprisingly Awful Celebrity Homes

Bonnie Franklin purchased this house in 2004. She came from a very wealthy background and must've done well enough from ODAAT's nine years on the air to do better than this. I joked on DL a few years ago that I imagine she bought it totally renovated with Tuscan bathroom, granite kitchen, all-cream interior and ripped it all out to re-do it in '70s style to remind her of her heyday.

Penn Jillette's, but I wouldn't say it's surprising.

That house of Whitneys might have been something in it's day. Was it the one with the filthy drug den bathroom?

Micheal Jordan's awful Chicago estate has been for sale forever

John Travolta's airport house

[quote] Was it the one with the filthy drug den bathroom?

No, that was her pretty ordinary Atlanta McMansion she lived in in the '00s.

This asshole's house in NYC

That Jillette monstrosity looks like a strip mall with an IHop attached at one end.

Of course there's Spelling Mess Manor

I imagine by the time Whitney moved to Atlanta she wasn't as financially solid as she was in her earlier years, having smoked a lot of her wealth up in crack. One thing's for sure, I'll bet the neighbors in her gated neighborhood were glad when she died and even gladder when Bobby left.

I like Whitney's NJ home. With some updating and some work on the grounds that place could be a palace.

Probably. But she still had a huge amount of money in the '90s. She could've done better than that place in Mendham. If she wanted it she could've definitely afforded something like the Bedford mansion or Cribs apartment Mariah lived in.

[quote]Linda McCoy, a resident of Country Club and a neighbor of Houston’s at the time she lived there, recalled her experiences with Networx about the legendary singer. “She was always very friendly. If you saw her out walking her dog or jogging she always spoke. If she passed you in her car she would wave. “If she was in a hurry, though, you knew to get out of the way,” McCoy recalls with a friendly chuckle. “She nearly ran me off the road once.”

I imagine having a palatial mansion was the last thing on Whitney's mind. As long as the place she lived was sufficiently comfortable I bet she was fine with it. At some point she probably had little to do with even selecting her home. Her management likely had to do all that since she wasn't in her right mind a lot of the time. Besides, people like that never have "homes". They have houses they live in only until they tire of it or wear out their welcome in the area. She and Bobby didn't seem like the types of people who bought grand homes to live in only until they could sell them for a huge profit, like Ellen DeGeneres. Besides, a cheaper house meant more money available for drugs.

When the Kardashians were first famous from their show and were establishing their 'family Xmas card' tradition, I remember one taken in the foyer of Kris' home and it (the home) was fucking awful. Pure mcmansion. It had one of those awful small-scale double staircases leading to a second floor, the floor itself was black and white shiny checkerboard something or other that looked like the floor of a mid-range shopping mall from the early 00s. The Christmas decor, including the trees, was the same mall aesthetic.

The Kardashians have stupid money, but none of them - including the mom and the brother - has ever had taste (as far as I've seen).

Caitlyn's (now burned down) house looked nicer inside, but from the outside it looked lonely, like the lady herself.

When did her house burn down? I missed that? What was the cause? Where does she live now?

Oh I see it burned down during one of the wildfires.

Whitney didn’t have much money to spend on houses. All her money got smoked or went up her nose.

OT/ I just saw this photo of Caitlyn. Just look at those old man hands.

[bold]WARNING: a significant number of Dataloungers will experience discomfort and/or seizures when exposed to the dining room; even those with no history of epilepsy.[/bold]

What R15 was talking about:

R4 If you have that much money why the fuck would you live in Chicago, that shit will never get sold.

God R21, that looks like the tackiest brothel ever built... Which is very fitting for those Kardashian harlots, if you think about it.

The black-mirrored powder room with a golden washbasin and leopard print stools is particularly sleazy-looking, as is the rococo-meets-porn set styled dining room, with its mismatched chandeliers. However, my favourites are the white kitchen with chandeliers and shiny bar stools that mirror the tacky floor (who on earth has chandeliers and polished metal in a kitchen? Cleaning that must have taken ages and with all the cooking, it would have to be done at least twice a week), the fur quilt and velvet-upholstered headboard in the main bedroom, and the mirrored wall, macabre skull theme and the gigantic photo with red lips in one of the secondary bedrooms... As I've mentioned before, it all looks like it was decorated by a madam.

As for the Trump hideousness at R7, all I can say is that Orange Bowl should be put on trial for crimes against good taste, and humanity's visual health. That HIDEOUS living room is how I imagine that hell's vestibule would look: uncontrolled ugliness and chaos to cause people's senses to short-circuit. Just awful.

Tom Hanks' Pacific Palisades estate.

She bought the New Jersey home for 10M and it sold for ten times less. When she died, she hadn't lived there for nearly 15 years. She said she always preferred apartments. She also had homes in Alpharetta, Georgia; Laguna Hills, California and condos in Miami and NYC.

[quote] She bought the New Jersey home for 10M and it sold for ten times less.

That's actually impressive if true.

This is her final home.

R27 No this is

God, she couldn't even get a half-decent grave.

trahsy common grave

Maybe we should have a surprisingly awful celebrity graves thread.

Dennis Hopper would win, his grave looks like a garbage dump

I don't mind Whitney's house. The architecture is cool, the property is gorgeous. Highly fixable.

R2 You have to take these "personality" homes for what they are. Penn's is not my style, but looks like it would be a lot of fun to live in.

I like Whitney's house. It was featured in one of the documentaries about her and I was impressed with it then. The Atlanta house was just sad, though.

It's such a shame what happened to her. In the documentaries I viewed, she came across as lovable and deeply caring to the people in her life--when she wasn't completely wasted.

Don't do drugs, kids!

Richard Marx took a bath on his terribly grand Chicago-area mansion. He wanted $18 million for it, got 4.2, must have been so pissed. Nice place if you like that sort of thing, but it's hilarious imagining the "it don't mean nuthin" hair guy living in this pile.

Speaking of celebrity homes...

Marx has quite the sassy Twitter feed and devoted following. Does he really make all that much money from music these days?

Marx is a hoot on Twitter, his Chicago mansion was a knock-out, but even the nicest houses in Chicago don't sell for that much

I hope Marx didn't put too much money into upgrading that outlandishly megalithic home. If he didn't then he didn't take much of a hit over what he paid for it. But what a stupid thing he did, buying a home that size. That I know of metro Chicago has never been a hot housing market so the idea he could sell that house for over 4 times what he paid for it was simply ignorant. I think he probably bought that house as a "look at me, I'm so rich, don't you wish you were me because I know I would".

Someone up thread was talking about Bonnie Franklin buying a house that seemed to be beneath her station. Of course her house was what most people would be very lucky to live in and maybe she was the type of didn't feel like she had to throw money away to live in some outlandishly overpriced house just to show off.

"Take out that marble bathroom. I want Harvest Gold shag dammit!"

By contrast, Elizabeth Taylor's house in Bel Air was absolutely beautiful – tasteful and personal, and surprisingly modest. Love the lilac-colored shag carpet, fun touch.

Sorry, but that house of Taylors' is not tasteful. Personal and modest, yes, but not tasteful. Despite the Warhols and Van Gogh, it's homely and a little tacky, much like 80's chubby Liz.

That's from five years after she died. I imagine Taylor's own decor was tacky beyond belief.

Thread takeaway #1: MONEY DOES NOT BUY TASTE!

One of the pics in Elizabeth Taylor's house shows 3 Oscar statuettes. I know she won 2, so is the third one Mike Todd's for producing best picture winner Around the World in 80 Days?

R46, the 3rd statuette could be the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award she received in 1993.

Wow surprised we have people who liked Whitney's New Jersey home. I never imagined her living there. And in reality she didn't live there much. Like someone else said that home was purchased at the peak of her career in the 90s. She likely had very little to do with it other than telling her people she needed a spacious home in New Jersey to live at when she wasn't on the road.

R36, Richard Marx took a house by one of the best and most highly regarded architects (David Adler) and “made improvements”. Adler houses in original condition are highly sought after, but ones ruined with tacky taste and cheap updates are a problem because it costs a fortune to recreate 1920s details. Had Marx just left the house alone it would have been a much easier sell.

R49 Location though. You spend that much on a house in the midwest, you deserve to lose LOL.

Kathy Griffin has appalling taste in houses

[quote] What [R15] was talking about:

That might have been sophisticated in the 80’s? Or is still too tacky for even that decade?

"Kathy Griffin has appalling taste in houses"

Kathy Griffin is from... Chicago

It's a Chicago thing, you wouldn't understand

I've always thought Travolta had a cool house. It's not just airport themed, it's 1960s Jet Age airport themed. I really like aviation though.

^ I think it's pretty cool, but I think I might tire of living in an airport after 20-30 years

Griffin's house may not be the prettiest on the exterior, but I'm sure it's nice on the interior. And, she pays cash money every time she buys a house. She's a smart girl. No mortgage payments for her.

R56 It’s not it’s hideous. She has horrible taste in everything.

"Reynolds' house certainly feels dated in some parts."

^ Well, since he's dead it's hard to hold him responsible for his "dated" decor

Whatever happened to that rumored tell-all memoir by Burt that was supposed to be published after his death?

All one has to do is look at the interior décor of Burt Reynolds' homes and you'd know he was a big old queen. He probably didn't have the money to do much upgrading. And besides old people aren't usually into that. They like things the way they remember being comfortable with. When we get to a certain age the idea of throwing money away on niceties, when we're so close to the end anyway, is just not something most are willing to do.

I do wish Burt could have played George Spahn.

[quote]Richard Marx took a house by one of the best and most highly regarded architects (David Adler) and “made improvements”. Adler houses in original condition are highly sought after, but ones ruined with tacky taste and cheap updates are a problem because it costs a fortune to recreate 1920s details.

I'm a poor and not-American but I noticed the rooms in Richard Marx's house actually have nice proportions (and nice ceiling height), and was going to comment that that's not something you see often (or at all?) in mcmansions. The interior design is awful - and very dated - though. Looks like a rich person's 1998 remodel.

A question (one I have had on my mind)L why *don't* you see more of the old wood/woodwork you see in some older US houses and old English country houses? Is is solely cost? Surely there are many Americans who have the cash to pay those costs?

reply 49

Don't forget Burt Reynolds Mausoleum, it's seen better days.

R48: I think Whitney spend a decent chunk of time in that NJ house in the 90s. She was there pre-Bodyguard years (there’s an interview with Arsenio Hall from 1990 I think) when she was between albums and she didn’t really tour after 1994 till 1999. She did make Waiting to Exhale and the Preacher’s Wife but she was out of the public eye other than filming and promoting those. These were the years where she seemed to want to dim her own shine too thanks to her insecure idiot husband. She did the photo shoot for the My Love Is Your Love album on the road outside the house in 1998.

[quote]Kathy Griffin has appalling taste in houses

And houseguests

That Kardashian house is amazing, full of expensive bad taste. The dining room is especially ugly, r21, though I'm not having seizures.

Never forget that the Kartrashians are nothing more than trailer trash with money.

I liked Whitney's house at OP, i.e., the two round / circular structures. Would be cool to use the 2nd one as a guest house / studio, etc. Not sure why people think it's awful.

Kathy Griffin's house was featured on her reality show, "My Life on the D List." The outside was horrible (like a poor person's idea of what a rich person's house should look like, sorry to say). The inside was blah and boring. She should have had Jeff Lewis help her. However, it was uncluttered and clean-looking.

Their business managers tell them what they can afford. They might even choose the property.

I think Kathy Griffin has been more hands-on with her money than the average celebrity. She divorced her husband because he had been waking up early and using her ATM card (without authorization) to withdraw money for himself. The amount she busted him for was in the 5 figures. Not good, but at least not in the millions. I would say she's pretty good at keeping track of her money.

Another sickening Kardashian house by Jeff Andrews

And another

Gloria Vanderbilt's apartment was surprisingly shitty.

What do you expect from people whose diet consists of takeout salads (Panera?) in clear plastic containers.

Tim Gunn's apartment is surprisingly awful.

Wow R21, I'm surprised I remembered that so well (down to the checkboard floors!) - it's been years since I saw that Christmas card image but it really stuck in my head for pure awfulness. The rest of the house is just as bad, too. Someone else already called it out but that room with the red lips art on the wall. And the dining room! Those curtains! UGH!

PS. I see that the Kardashian house has "art" in it. Also some art books, used as decor (so far so typical, I know.) What do rich people say to their interior designers? "Oh that corner looks empty, put an art there. Get an art for this wall. This sitting room needs more arts!"

Another unsurprising one, but I will never tire of its awfulness.

The Whitney house has good bones and is at least unique.

R79 when will that old bitch just die already?

In all my life (and career) I’ve never encountered as more horrible and horrid human being.

R42 hasn't a clue.

[quote]R80: The Whitney house has good bones and is at least unique.

Oh, great. The "house has good bones" troll has shown up.

WH….I miss her. Such a once in a lifetime talent. Such a waste.

I liked La Liz home. Of note, Larry Fortensky was responsible for the gardens. He did them himself. Fucked the old fat cow AND did the landscaping. A catch in my book.

Can’t believe Burt would sleep in that boring tiny bed. Not even a headboard!

Of course, a gay bought the Whitney house.

R84 Is that right? Good for Larry.

I loved Liz's house, at least as shown in that AD spread. Beautiful, comfortable, not overdone. Too feminine for my taste but I really admire it.

I liked Liz's house as well. I don't like how she stacked the paintings like that (two horizontal rows), though.

Mendham, NJ is a classy town.

[quote] "That's from five years after she died. I imagine Taylor's own decor was tacky beyond belief."

No, R44. This was from the last time she had the house redecorated, sometime in the 2000s. I think a lot of it is lovely, if matronly. But the wallpaper and mirrors in the dining room, and the entire kitchen are horribly dated, and completely awful. Otherwise, I like it as it was at that point. I wouldn't choose a lot of those things for myself, but it isn't terrible.

David Adler was one of America's best period-revival architects and had serious competition in Chicago.

Always sad to hear that one of his cultivated designs has had can lights installed.

R89 yeah, so what was WH doing there? Most of the houses there are just gorgeous.

r92 She got bored and left for Atlanta.

I thought Kathy Griffin's previous 10 million dollar house was devoid of personality. Vaguely Spanish looking but mostly just a big white box. The interior looked like a hotel. I did enjoy it when Milo Y called her a "broke bitch" and she tweeted that she just woke up in her 10,000 sqft Bel Air mansion which she bought outright, I'm sure for her buying the house was worth it for that moment.

Jayne Mansfield's "Pink Palace." Got to love the full carpet bathroom.

Graceland, of course!

The Golden Girls would have felt right at home in Cara Delevingne's old house.

R86: how does a 33 year old have that many properties?? Oh well, I’m glad it was bought by someone who appreciates Whitney and her legacy. Good for him.

R28- I like Whitney's "neighbors" stone better. Is she buried in a HB cemetery? That heart shaped thing wouldn't fly in most cemeteries.

R73 & R74- These are an improvement over when Faye Resnick was their designer of choice. They've since moved on to using Martyn Lawrence Bullard, whose site has their current interiors.

[quote] She bought the New Jersey home for 10M and it sold for ten times less.

Keeping in mind that she died in 2012, after the housing market crashed,

[quote] Kathy Griffin's house was featured on her reality show, "My Life on the D List." The outside was horrible (like a poor person's idea of what a rich person's house should look like, sorry to say). The inside was blah and boring. She should have had Jeff Lewis help her. However, it was uncluttered and clean-looking.

Kathy's Hollywood Hills home looks like a lot of the modern architecture in California. All of Jeff Lewis' work looks the same, gray walls and all. His ex Ryan is much more talented than Jeff is.

For several years, Shaq's mansion in Windmere came and went from the market as regularly as the tides. It went out on the market and came back unsold. The one-time most expensive house in the Orlando area dropped in asking price repeatedly since being listed at $28 million several years back.

It finally hit the sweet spot, going for an absolute song at $11 million. Benjamin Hillman of Premier Sotheby's International Realty has the realtor to finally get a deal done.

[quote] For several years, Shaq's mansion in Windmere came and went from the market as regularly as the tides. It went out on the market and came back unsold. The one-time most expensive house in the Orlando area dropped in asking price repeatedly since being listed at $28 million several years back. It finally hit the sweet spot, going for an absolute song at $11 million. Benjamin Hillman of Premier Sotheby's International Realty has the realtor to finally get a deal done.

Since 1993, Shaq's primary home has been a 12-bedroom, 31,000 square foot mansion in Orlando's gated Isleworth Golf and Country Club. The home, not surprisingly, also includes a 6,000 square foot indoor basketball court, 17 car garage, and is surrounded by a 10-foot tall privacy wall.

Shaq bought the land for this house in 1993 for $4 million and proceeded to build a custom dream home on the lot.

He first put this house on the market in May 2018 for $28 million. In January 2019, he lowered the price to $22 million. In September he lowered the price to $19.5 million. Now he's lowered it once again, to $16.5 million after doing some updates inside the home and finding a new real estate agent to represent the property. In January 2021, it looked like Shaq had finally found a buyer, however that contract fell through and the mansion remains on the market as of this writing.

^ I'd hardly call that "awful"

[quote] Kathy Griffin's house was featured on her reality show, "My Life on the D List."

She's moved on twice since that house. I don't know if the house in the photo upthread is the house from the D List show or not. I remember the house she was living in before her last move was the one she was having the issue with the neighbor. They hated each other and made each other's lives hell whenever they could. The sad thing was that they'd both spent millions on their homes only to live no more than 30' away from the other's house. Live in LA, ain't so grand after all.

R102 With apologies to Brooklynites, I must say that having lived in Manhattan in the 80s and 90s, I still have a residual snobbery about the boroughs. Back then you just didn’t want to live there or even go there. It was a big drag if someone had a party and you had to get out there and back. Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope - ok, grudgingly. Certainly very few celebrities lived there. I can only think of Norman Mailer at the time. .Again, apologies, I know it’s changed dramatically.

Okay, this is nicer than Shaq's mansion, but George Strait has been trying to unload a hilltop compound for years.

[quote] ^ I'd hardly call that "awful"

Its hideous! Perhaps you like army green and wood.

[quote] I don't know if the house in the photo upthread is the house from the D List show or not.

Whether you know it or not. That is the house. She's owned 3 mansions, Hollywood Hills, Bel-Air, Malibu.

I thought George Strait left Texas for Tennessee.

What mansion is Kathy G living in now? It it her best?