Elon Musk Is Foreclosing on an LA Home. The Owners, Who Musk Lent Money To, Say They 'Owe Him Such a Spiritual Debt.' Wilder's nephew, filmmaker Jordan Walker-Pearlman, purchased the Bel-Air home with his wife in 2020 using loans from Musk.
By Lian Kit Wee
Key Takeaways
- One of Elon Musk's entities has started foreclosing on a Bel-Air home sold to a filmmaker and screenwriter.
- The couple purchased the house for $7 million in 2020 and financed it using loans from Musk.
- The property was originally owned by the actor Gene Wilder, the filmmaker's late uncle.
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This article originally appeared on Business Insider.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is starting to foreclose on a Bel-Air home purchased by the filmmaker Jordan Walker-Pearlman and his wife, the screenwriter Elizabeth Hunter.
The house once belonged to Walker-Pearlman's uncle, the late actor Gene Wilder. One of Musk's trusts bought the property in 2013 for $6.75 million, then Musk sold it to the couple in 2020 for $7 million, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
Musk had initially listed the property for $9.5 million — which the couple couldn't afford.
Walker-Pearlman and Hunter financed their 2020 deal with a $6.7 million loan provided by Musk. The billionaire reached an agreement with Walker-Pearlman, who spent his childhood there, to ensure the house would be preserved, the Journal reported in 2022.
The couple has since fallen behind on payments after being significantly impacted by last year's writers' and actors' strike, the Journal's new report says.
In late July, Musk's representatives filed a notice of default, the first formal step in the foreclosure process. The notice said Musk could choose to sell the house after 90 days, according to the Journal.
There doesn't appear to be any bad blood between Musk and the couple — in an interview with the Journal, they expressed gratitude to the billionaire for making the purchase possible.
"There's no tragedy here. Elon gave us a magical opportunity. I have no complaints," Walker-Pearlman said, adding that he and Hunter "owe him such a spiritual debt."
The couple listed the house for $12.95 million with Drew Meyers of Westside Estate Agency, the Journal reported. Meyers didn't respond to a request for comment sent outside standard business hours.
Wilder, the star of "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" and "Young Frankenstein," purchased the 2,800-square-foot home in 1976 for about $300,000. It features a kidney-shaped pool and overlooks the Bel-Air Country Club.
Musk didn't respond to a request for comment sent outside standard business hours.
