Elon Musk regains ownership of Gene Wilder's former LA home after foreclosing on Willy Wonka star's nephew

Yahoo

2 days ago

Elon Musk has reclaimed ownership of Gene Wilder's iconic Bel-Air home from the late Willy Wonka star's nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman, who had defaulted on the loan he had received from the tech billionaire to purchase the property in 2020.
Musk, 53, who first acquired the single-family LA home in 2013 for $6.7 million, originally planned to sell the dwelling in 2020, claiming at the time that he planned to 'own no house.'
It was then revealed that the Tesla CEO had lent Walker-Pearlman and his wife, Elizabeth Hunter, $6.7 million to buy the home from him. However, it was later reported that the couple had fallen behind on loan payments, leading Musk to move to foreclose on the home in July 2024.
Musk planned to hold a public auction for the property that December, but January 2025 records now indicate that the home was purchased for $7.5 million through an LLC owned by Musk, according to Realtor.com.
Walker-Pearlman, 58, a film director and screenwriter himself, lived with Wilder and the actor's then-wife, Gilda Radner, in the home during his youth, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He later moved back in in 2020 with Hunter, following the 2016 death of his uncle at the age of 83.
During their time living at the home, the couple managed to 'restore the house to much of how Gene had it (with modern editions and no shag carpeting) during his golden period there,' Walker-Pearlman told The Hollywood Reporter.
While the terms of the foreclosure sale and the change of ownership remain confidential, Walker-Pearlman added that 'everything was orderly and convivial.'
The joint Hollywood writers' and actors' strikes in 2023 had apparently impacted him financially, resulting in him falling behind on his loan. He previously told the outlet that there was no ill will between him and Musk over the foreclosure notice.
'It was an opportunity that allowed me to film my autobiographical movie, The Requiem Boogie, in the house where so many childhood memories in it actually took place. It has been a very special and magical four years. Collectively and in coordination with Mr. Musk and his team, we took the steps we are taking now,' Walker-Pearlman said in a 2024 statement.
He and his wife had initially tried to sell the house themselves, listing it for $12.95 million in August 2024, but were unable to find a buyer. The price tag was then slashed to $9.5 million in November 2024.
That same month, however, Walker-Pearlman and Hunter received a notice that the home would be sold at auction in December. It stated that the unpaid balance of the loan, as well as 'reasonable estimated costs, expenses, and advances,' was set at $7,512,523.10, per Realtor.com.
Wilder, best known for his roles in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) and Young Frankenstein (1974), reportedly purchased the 2,750 square-foot compound for an estimated $300,000 shortly after the success of the latter film.
He lived there for decades before selling it in 2007 for $2.7 million. Musk eventually added the property to his vast real estate portfolio in 2013.