Wigs are flying and the entire city of Calabasas is currently “shook,” as it were, because word on the street is that Jeffree Star wants a new mansion. And this time, the Lamborghini-driving YouTube superstar is not playing around.
In a deal that closed today, Star and his longtime boyfriend — skateboarder Nathan Schwandt — have forked over $14.6 million for a bonafide mega-compound in , the guard-gated city that lies immediately adjacent to their home of Calabasas. Though Hidden Hills has nearly 700 houses within its three guarded entrances — some of them owned by the likes of Drake, The Weeknd, Kris Jenner, John Stamos, Paul George, and Star’s close friend Linda Tawil, the co-founder of Morphe Cosmetics — Star’s new palace is unquestionably one of the largest and most unabashedly opulent mansions in the entire community.
Completed in 2007, the soon-to-be-iconic residence spans more than 25,000 square feet of space, including two attached guesthouses and a 4,700 sq. ft. garage capable of accommodating 10+ luxury vehicles. The hulking, hilltop structure was built by a non-famous couple who were hit hard by the ensuing economic recession and divorced shortly thereafter.
In May 2010, the giant house and its 2.8-acre property were sold for $13 million to Jeff and Stacey Feinberg, she a part-time actress and daughter of the late sports agent Bob Woolf, he a wealthy financier and former managing director at Soros Fund Management, the New York-based hedge fund brainchild of multi-billionaire political lightning rod George Soros.
But the Feinbergs only lived in their palatial Hidden Hills property for a few years before their marriage also dissolved into divorce. Both parties quickly moved out of the mansion and acquired new homes, and it is this author’s understanding that Star’s high-maintainence new estate has been essentially vacant for the past several years.
By 2013, the house was back up for sale, asking nearly $19 million, and for the last six years the place has lingered on and off the market with ever-decreasing pricetags. Though the property entered escrow at least twice over the years — once in 2016 and again in 2018 — both deals were ultimately cancelled for unknown reasons. Eventually, however, Star and Schwandt entered the picture and the rest is real estate history.
Set at the very end of a quiet cul-de-sac in the coveted Ashley Ridge section of Hidden Hills, the turret-laden structure was designed in the French Normandy architectural style, per the listing, though it’s perhaps best-described as the ultimate swan song of mid-2000s suburban residential excess.
Out front, the spacious motorcourt can easily accommodate two dozen pink Teslas, and formal gardens of manicured topiaries and Italian cypresses surround the soaring entryway, where the limestone columns and custom doors are guaranteed to impress guests.
Inside, the airplane hanger-sized foyer is topped by a dome with leaded stained glass, while a double staircase with intricate wrought iron detailing ascends to a second-level balcony overlooking a living room with marble floors and three oversized Palladian windows. Beyond that, a wet bar sits just outside a spacious family room with hardwood floors. There’s also a warehouse-sized kitchen with honey-hued cabinetry, a full array of top-notch stainless appliances and two islands, one of them an oddly comma-shaped affair with room for at least eight eat-in diners.
Just beyond the kitchen is an all-glass elevator that services all three levels of the giant house, a boon for the tired housemaid who’s been sent to fetch something from the basement wine cellar. (Since Star is famously teetotal, the cellar will likely be stocked with cans of Red Bull and soda.)
Other home amenities include a formal dining room, a totally wood-paneled office and separate library, a so-called “teen room” that could easily be converted into a glam room or a multimillion-dollar pink vault, a basement wet bar, a movie theater and an eye-popping two-story gym with an attached spa and separate massage facilities. Upstairs, the hedonistic master suite includes dual baths with a shared sauna, dual custom closets and a fireplace.
The estate’s backyard includes a prairie-sized stone patio and views out over the rugged hills of Calabasas. Smack-dab in the middle of the patio is a sprawling pool with attached spa and Baja shelf for sunbathing, plus a nearby covered firepit and a full outdoor kitchen and built-in BBQ. Covered loggias provide numerous options for alfresco dining with shade from the oppressive San Fernando Valley sun.
Back out front, a separate driveway leads to a 3,700 sq. ft. unfinished barn that sits on a hillside far below the main house. What Star will opt to do with that house-sized structure is anyone’s guess at this point, though it could potentially be converted into a third guesthouse, staff quarters, or a separate storage space for the self-proclaimed “makeup hoarder.”
Of course, Hidden Hills is famously also home to Star’s arch-nemesis, billionaire beauty guru Kylie Jenner. The pair’s long-running feud first erupted in 2017, when Star posted a withering review of Jenner’s $360 makeup brush set, calling it “overpriced,” “cheap,” and adding that it “feels like it’s from the Dollar Tree.” (In response, Jenner reportedly yanked Star off her PR delivery list.)
But Star has never been one to shy away from controversy — in fact, he’s used it to fuel his ascent to limitless fame and fortune. Millennials may remember that the L.A. native rose from obscurity to become the most-followed person on MySpace during its heyday in the mid-2000s. From there, he launched a singing career and a debut album, “Beauty Killer,” in 2009.
Several years ago, with his music career stalled and future earnings prospects bleak, Star funneled his life savings into a makeup brand, Jeffree Star Cosmetics, that became an overnight sensation and reportedly generates $100 million in annual profits. Encouraged by his boyfriend, he also joined YouTube, where his channel now sports more than 2 billion lifetime video views and nearly 17 million subscribers, in addition to tens of millions of followers across other social media platforms.
In addition to the almost countless millions he collects from his YouTube and cosmetics endeavors, Star is also co-owner of Killer Merch LLC, the Chatsworth, Calif.-based apparel juggernaut that manufactures and distributes custom merchandise like hoodies and t-shirts for some of the world’s top YouTubers and other social media celebrities, many of whom rely on the company for the lion’s share of their incomes. Star also produces his own popular merch line through Killer Merch, of course, though the millions he earns through that avenue likely qualify as little more than pocket change to a man of his substantial net worth.
Of course, one doesn’t get to the top without stepping on a few toes along the way. Over the years, Star has been involved in high-profile feuds with a number of other influencers and cosmetics creators, including Kat Von D, James Charles, Nikita Dragun and Jerrod Blandino. Perhaps his funniest fight on record, however, was his profanity-laced rant about Khloe Kardashian, NDAs and Calabasas.
Despite his controversial past, Star is generally lauded for overcoming humble beginnings to achieve entrepreneurial success. He’s also forged lasting friendships with other YouTubers — two of his closest friends are Shane Dawson and Trisha Paytas. Star continues to grow a fiercely loyal fanbase, and his followers love his unfiltered, no-holds-barred nature and brutally honest product reviews.
For the moment, Star and Schwandt — who also maintain a vacation getaway just outside Grand Rapids, Michigan — reside in a famously trash-filled Calabasas “starter” mansion with about 7,000 square feet of living space. Though they bought that house only three years ago, the couple have rapidly outgrown the space. According to Star, one of the reasons the pair decided to upgrade was simply because “there is so much shit everywhere,” in their current home.
Star purchased the Calabasas pad for about $3.6 million but has since invested huge sums of money into personalizing the place: there are tufted pink walls, pink mirrors, and a custom pink vault with a multimillion-dollar collection of handbags and accessories, all guarded by a door crafted from 10,000 pounds of bulletproof stainless steel.
Marc Shevin of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties held the listing and also repped Star.