Forbes has called him an “investor, innovator and paradigm-shifter.” And Seth Rodsky certainly seemed to live up to those monikers last August, when a Blackstone-backed firm acquired a majority stake in Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine production company (“Big Little Lies,” “Little Fires Everywhere”), reportedly valuing the five-year-old startup at north of $900 million. That transaction netted immense profits for both the “Legally Blonde” star, who is now the world’s richest actress, and Rodsky, her longtime business partner and the cofounder of both Hello Sunshine and Draper James, Witherspoon’s apparel company.
Since that big deal, Witherspoon has bought four new homes, including an $18 million estate in her native Nashville. Rodsky, for his part, has also been on a real estate spree – last year, he sold his longtime vacation condo in Laguna Beach to upgrade into a $10.5 million Malibu oceanfront home.
Rodsky is also selling his longtime main residence, a lavish estate in the Beverly Hills Flats neighborhood, which is on the market for nearly $18 million. The sale is not surprising, considering he just dumped a considerable $35.5 million to buy a unique compound in prime Bel Air, just steps from the quintessentially posh Hotel Bel-Air. Records show he quietly acquired two side-by-side homes from two different sellers in separate deals.
So Rodsky can afford to play in the same real estate sandbox as the wealthiest celebrities, even if he’s not exactly a household name himself. But the 46-year-old has had plenty of brushes with fame; he introduced 50 Cent to Vitamin Water, and he also inked a deal that saw Madonna invest in the Vita Coco drink brand.
Today, Rodsky’s Strand Equity investment firm is a juggernaut in the world of consumer brands, with a $500 million nest egg funding some of today’s trendiest new products and businesses. And on the personal front, the California native’s wife Eve Rodsky is a New York Times bestselling author and podcaster.
As for Rodsky’s two-parcel Bel Air compound, the larger and far more lavish property was the longtime home of Lee Iacocca, the late Chrysler automotive legend. Iacocca died in 2019, and his longtime Bel Air home – a gracious Mediterranean villa-style mansion – was sold the following year for $19.5 million to local businessman Dara Mir and his wife, former “Shahs of Sunset” cast member Lilly Ghalichi.
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Image Credit: Mike Kelley Mir and Ghalichi renovated parts of the house — while leaving others untouched — before putting the place up for sale in late 2021, asking $32 million. Rodsky paid a discounted $27.7 million for the lavish spread; in addition to the 10,000-square-foot main structure, there’s also a detached guesthouse, formal gardens, a large swimming pool and full-size tennis court.
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Image Credit: Mike Kelley The fully renovated kitchen is blinged out with bronze fixtures and marble countertops, plus the typical array of high-end appliances, while the library’s wood-paneled walls have been painted a striking shade of blue.
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Image Credit: Mike Kelley Upstairs, the vast primary suite has new herringbone-pattern hardwood floors, and the dual bathrooms and dual closets have all been renovated.
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Image Credit: Mike Kelley As for the significantly smaller house next door (below), the 1950s midcentury modern underwent its last major renovation way back in 1962, per tax records. Vacant for some years and a prime candidate for demolition, the place last sold in 2019 for $5.2 million to an investor who made essentially zero changes to the place before flipping it to Rodsky.
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Image Credit: via Zillow Rodsky paid $7.8 million for the unassuming Hawaiian-flavored home, which boasts more than 4,000 square feet of living space and sits behind gates.
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Image Credit: via Zillow There’s also a lagoon-style swimming pool, plus tropically-oriented landscaping.
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Image Credit: via Zillow Altogether, the two Bel Air parcels span 1.6 contiguous acres.
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Image Credit: via Zillow