Over in L.A.’s quietly swank San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Toluca Lake, a house has sold for $17.5 million, easily the most ever paid for a residential property in that area. More remarkable is that the home’s lot itself measures “only” 1.4 acres; while that’s a considerable amount of land by SoCal standards, Bob Hope’s much larger 5.2-acre estate around the corner sold for a comparatively modest $15 million in 2018.
The spendy buyers are Hollywood screenwriter-producer Dan Fogelman (“Cars,” “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” “This Is Us”) and his wife, actress Caitlin Thompson, who don’t have far to move. Their current home — a 5,400-square-foot, vaguely transitional-style “starter” mansion acquired for $4 million in 2016 — lies almost literally right around the corner, also comfortably within Toluca Lake’s neighborhood boundaries.
Set on a very private flat lot, with the house well out of sight behind tall gates and a long driveway, the $17.5 million estate was never publicly listed for sale but had been privately marketed for months to a variety of A-listers and other moneyed folk. It’s widely believed that pop music chanteuse Ariana Grande toured the property more than once last year, just before she bought her current Hollywood Hills home, and she’s even believed to have made an offer in the $17 million range. (For unknown reasons, that deal clearly did not pan out.)
Last sold for just $5.2 million in late 2013, when it was acquired by former Universal chairman Adam Fogelson, the existing mansion was originally built in 1936 but underwent a somewhat frumpy remodel in 2000. Fogelson gave the traditional-style pad place a much-needed comprehensive contemporary refresh, complete with clean lines and copious amounts of white paint, before flipping it at a huge profit to Fogelman. Public records say the main house has about 8,000 square feet of living space with 5 bedrooms and 8 baths, though it’s not entirely certain if those numbers remain accurate.
A massive, L-shaped lawn stretches alongside and beyond the house, and a wall of mature trees rings the estate for total privacy. Also on the property are a sports court and an all-new dark-bottomed swimming pool with adjoining concrete patio for sunbathing. A three-car garage is attached to the main house, and the motorcourt has space for a dozen-plus additional vehicles.
It’s not particularly surprising that Fogelman would be in the mood for a big residential upgrade. Back in 2019, he inked one of the most lucrative deals in Hollywood history, believed to potentially be worth in excess of $200 million, that included a $125 million, five-year overall production deal with Disney’s 20th Television unit. The deal reportedly also included a separate contract that netted Fogelman profit participation payments for “This Is Us,” which could also be worth nine figures over time.
Fogelman and Thompson’s new estate happens to sit right next door to an even larger, under-construction compound being built by music superstar Sia — that property could be worth in excess of $20 million once complete. The couple’s home also adjoins the lavish residence (and office) of Steve Carell, and it’s just steps from homes of other industry heavyweights like Oscar winner Viola Davis, music veteran Billy Ray Cyrus, and transgender YouTuber Gigi Gorgeous and her wife, oil heiress Nats Getty, who bunk up in a huge mansion previously owned by Miley Cyrus.