Leslie Jordan | House Tour | $1.75 Million West Hollywood Condo & More

When actor Leslie Jordan passed away shockingly at the age of 67 after a medical emergency that led to a fatal car crash in October of 2022, the beloved funnyman, Emmy award winning actor, writer, and singer, left his fans, friends, and family full of grief. Also, Michael and I have dropped our own house tour of our new home that we moved into this year. So go ahead and subscribe to our personal channel if you want to see where we're living and more of what we're up to. In these videos we don't reveal any addresses and even though I've done a house tour of my own place, please do not show up at any private residences because it's not safe for anyone. Jordan first arrived in LA back in 1982 with $1,500 sewn into his clothing by his loving mom. After a brief career as a horse jockey, Leslie began his long foray into the entertainment industry. One that would take him decades to finally land on his feet by winning an Emmy in 2006 for his role as Beverly Leslie in TV's Will & Grace. Since then, Leslie would go on to receive rave reviews for his original stage plays like Stories I Can't Tell Mama and Fruit Fly, while also being praised for his Off his HBO special Pink Carpet. Over more recent months, however, Leslie would become heralded for his cheerful Instagram posts that soothed the spirits of millions during the pandemic. Don't worry, we'll dig further into that later in this very episode, but one of the more heartbreaking twists in Leslie's story is that only 12 weeks before dying unexpectedly, he had shelled out $1.75 million for a luxurious West Hollywood condo. To make matters even more tragic, this was apparently the Tennessee native's first ever home purchase in his nearly 7 decades of life – a fact that he hinted at while singing Movin' On Up from the Jeffersons in his trademark southern drawl on Instagram. According to reports, the condo was purchased from the estate of the late Ivan Reitman, a Canadian film director and producer behind iconic films like National Lampoon's Animal House, Stripes, and Ghostbusters. Ivan himself had paid nearly $1.2 million for the posh apartment back in the spring of 2008. After his passing in early 2022, his family would put his former home on the market for $1.8 million. A few months later, the price was reduced by about $100K and Leslie swept in to become its proud new owner. Originally built in the early 60s, the exclusive Empire West residential tower has hosted a number of notable celebrities over the years, including the likes of Nancy Sinatra, Sarah Silverman, Kerry Washington, Lindsay Lohan, Kelly Osbourne, and Corrigi, just to name a few. As for Leslie's short-lived unit, it's tucked away on the 11th floor of the tower, boasting two bedrooms and a matching number of baths in what's said to be a little more than 1,600 square feet of space. The condo includes a mix of hardwood and carpeted floors, high ceilings, modern finishes, as well as sliding glass doors that provide plenty of natural light. Glass also opens up to a series of north-facing balconies that offer some picturesque views on Sunset Plaza and the nearby Hollywood Hills. Other highlights in the unit include an entry hallway that flows into an open concept interior, spotlighted by a dining area, a spacious living room, and a sleek all-white kitchen that's been outfitted with some major high-end appliances. Then there's the master suite that sports a private balcony of its own, a walk-in closet, and an en-suite with dual vanities, a soaking tub, as well as a glass-enclosed shower. A couple steps from there is the secondary suite that Leslie likely utilized as his home office during his very short amount of time there. Of course, the star's new home also would come with plenty of amenities, including a 24-7 doorman, a concierge, two subterranean parking spots, an outdoor tennis court, a fully-stocked fitness center, and a rooftop pool for entertainment purposes. All for around an extra $1,600 a month. Now that he's no longer with us, Leslie's condo will likely end up back on the market once again. So, if you'd like nothing more than to live in the former home of a legendary entertainer, then keep your eyes peeled for its availability. For now, however, let's take a look at other ways in which Leslie Jordan brought joy to people in the comfort of their own homes. And we're gonna start with how he once paid for the renovations of someone else's house only months before his death. Two individuals who were thunderstruck when the news broke about Leslie's passing were Jonathan and Drew Scott, aka the Property Brothers. Prior to his death in October, these two had shot footage alongside Leslie for their HGTV series titled Celebrity IOU, in which Hollywood stars expressed thanks to the people who have For his episode of IOU, Leslie worked with Jonathan and Drew on renovating the ranch-style home of his close longtime friends Newell and Rosemary Alexander. These two were the first people to ever welcome Leslie when he arrived in LA from Tennessee back in the 80s, and they wound up jump-starting his career. From that point forward, the couple would continue to serve as a support system and became like family to Leslie over four decades of friendship. Jonathan would explain just how special this relationship was to the Hollywood star when he told AXS Hollywood. I think that's why we wanted to showcase this episode as a tribute to Leslie, because he said that it was so important that he do this for Rosemary and Newell. Unfortunately, while still in the process of filming this special episode, the news would break that Leslie had been involved in a fatal accident, shutting down production and sending everyone involved into shock and disbelief. Drew would share his feelings over what happened, telling AXS, I think he learned by people giving to him and he's become that person to give to others. He was just such a sweet human being. He's really, really going to be missed. One of the other ways in which Leslie learned to give back took place during the most trying time in recent human history. And before we say goodbye to Leslie once and for all, I'd like to take a look at how he shared parts of his childhood hometown while also keeping so many of us wildly entertained over the course of the pandemic. A few years ago, something that almost none of us would have expected was that Leslie Jordan would become America's biggest Instagram celebrity. And yet when the quarantine came down and stay at home orders were put into effect, that's almost exactly what happened. Despite having spent so much of his adult life in Hollywood, Leslie's ties to his hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee were incredibly strong. So when the world went down, he traveled back to the comforts of home to isolate himself at an Airbnb and to be closer to his 84-year-old mother as well as his sisters. For the next few months, he would charm his social media audiences with stories of his past while discussing some of his favorite parts of his home city, including the many beautiful bridges that go across the Tennessee River, like the Old Market Street Bridge and the Walnut Street Bridge. He'd reminisce about walking along North Chattanooga while stopping in at the many wonderful boutiques and eating seafood on the river at an establishment known as the Boathouse. All the while, Leslie's distinctive sassy southern accent and signature phrases would become a staple of many people's daily quarantine entertainment. It's kind of amazing when you think about it, what a man well into his 60s would become so well-versed with TikTok long before the app truly exploded in popularity. In fact, at the time of his death, Leslie had an incredible presence on social media consisting of 2.3 million followers on TikTok and 5.8 on Instagram. Something that's only all the more impressive when you take into consideration the fact that pre-pandemic, his following was hovering around 80,000 on the gram alone. But social media and these quarantine posts in particular would serve as something of a renaissance for Leslie's career. Afterwards, he'd release Companies Come In, a star-studded gospel album that boasted assists from Dolly Parton and Eddie Vedder, in which Leslie narrates scripture and reflects on personal stories, all while singing his heart out. In that sense, although he was already well into his 60s, it kind of felt Leslie Jordan was finally hitting his stride. Think about it, worldwide recognition, a new TV series in Call Me Kat, and a brand new condo were all important aspects of the last few months of his life. And then sadly came the car accidents. At least in a sense, the man got to go out while he was on top of the world, and quite literally living on top of LA. That's more than almost any of us could really ask for, a sentiment I'm pretty sure he'd agree with himself. Alright, that's gonna bring this special memorial episode of Leslie Jordan's house tour to a close. Before you all head out, however, answer me this one question. If you made it all the way to your 60s without ever buying a home, would you bite the bullet and finally do so, or just continue to live life as a renter? Let me know your reasons why in the comments down below. Also, go ahead and like, subscribe, and turn on those notifications. My name is Kara, follow me on Instagram to chat fervor, and I'll see you all in another one. Bye!