Although the deal actually closed last summer, it’s only now that “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” and “Yes Man” actor Rhys Darby’s quiet sale of his elegant L.A. home to another celebrity has come to light. The Cape Cod-style, San Fernando Valley mini-estate transferred for nearly $2.2 million and packs five bedrooms and five baths into a family-sized 3,100 square feet of living space. Records reveal the Kiwi thespian originally paid about $1.9 million for the property in 2015.
The buyer was prominent YouTuber Gabbie Hanna, who has since posted a video house tour that’s racked up three million views. The social media star first rose to fame on the now-defunct Vine app before creating her YouTube channel, where she’s accumulated 6.2 million subscribers and nearly 1.1 billion lifetime views. That success allowed her to venture into singing and acting; she’s released an EP — 2019’s “2WayMirror” — that charted on the Billboard 200, and she’s appeared in the YouTube premium series “Escape the Night.”
And like many other high-profile YouTubers, Hanna has also been involved in her share of drama and “scandals.” She’s had public spats with fellow creators Trisha Paytas and Jessi Smiles, and she’s faced backlash for promoting a makeup brush set that her followers alleged was a scam. Hanna was also once a de facto member of YouTube superstar David Dobrik’s “Vlog Squad” circle of friends, though she no longer appears in the vlogs and has distanced herself from the group.
The Darby-cum-Hanna house sits in a particularly desirable and celeb-popular neighborhood pocket of Studio City, a leafy area close to many of the major studios. Walls and gates guard access to the house, which is mostly invisible from the street behind a tall hedge.
Inside the recently-renovated structure lies an airy, open-plan living space with hardwood floors, coffered ceilings and paneled walls. A decidedly swank kitchen features pricey Calacatta marble countertops and top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances, and there’s an adjacent wine closet for convenient booze-hound access. The home also features an office, master suite with spa-style bath, and a large family room with direct access to the outdoors.
Though the home’s backyard isn’t particularly large, the completely hardscaped space does include a dark-bottom plunge pool with a spa and tiki bar, plus a large cabana with a chandelier for shady alfresco dining. Unusually, the property does not include a garage, but the long gated driveway provides off-street parking for at least three automobiles.
Michael Bergin of Compass held the listing; Brigid Van Randall with Redfin repped Hanna.