Sponsored message
Logged in as
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

Arts & Entertainment

Deal To Sell Playboy Mansion To Snack Food Billionaire Falls Apart [UPDATED]

playboymansion_640.jpg
Playboy bunny Sheila Levell, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and Playboy bunny Holly Madison at the Playboy Mansion on May 6, 2003 in Holmby Hills, California. (Photo by Robert Mora/Getty Images)

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.

Playboy Enterprises' much-hyped deal to sell their eponymous, iconic mansion to a 32-year-old billionaire who once told The New York Times that he had "been with more chicks than any fat guy you know, except Pavarotti,” has fallen through, reports TMZ.

J. Daren Metropoulos, the scion of a Greek private equity mogul and "heir to a fortune built on Chef Boyardee meatballs, Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and Bumble Bee tuna," according to the Times, had managed to buy the luxe pad for a reported $110 million in June, albeit with one caveat: the home's famously pajama clad owner and his 30-year-old bride would be able to remain in situ as long as Hugh Hefner was still living.

The iconic Holmby Hills mansion, home to decades of debauchery and that swimming grotto, was purchased by Hefner in 1971 for about $1 million. TMZ reports that although the deal stipulated that Metropoulos would hold off on any restorations or additions while Hef was still kicking, "Metropoulos [still] wanted a significant amount of access during Hef's remaining years ... and Playboy felt he was being unreasonable."

After weeks of haggling and dozens of revisions, the deal is said to have officially died sometime Thursday night. The estate will be back on the market Monday, if you happen to be looking.

[Update] 2:00 p.m. Apparently the deal is actually still on, at least according to a spokesperson for Daren Metropoulos, who told City News Service that the sale was still moving forward as planned, adding that "Gossip reports suggesting the deal has fallen apart are simply untrue." We will update accordingly after Playboy issues their statement.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today