Kanye West has finally found a buyer for his gutted Malibu mansion, but not without leaving a trail of controversy and lawsuits in his wake.
The property, which the rapper bought for a whopping $57 million in 2021, is now in escrow, according to TMZ.
The mansion, known for its stunning Pacific Ocean views, was initially listed for $53 million before West slashed the price to $39 million in April 2024. The drastic price cut came after West stripped the home of all its interior fixtures and fittings, leaving it a skeletal structure of its former glory.
Sources previously told The Post that the home would likely sell for an even lower price than that $39 million price tag. The sale has not yet closed and it is unclear what the final price is.
Listing representative Jason Oppenheim of the Oppenheim Group did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
Photos and videos published by the New Yorker in June showed the property’s windows removed and its railings rusting in the salty sea air.
“This is going to be my bomb shelter. This is going to be my Batcave,” West reportedly told a laborer during the destruction process, as revealed in an interview with the outlet.
The troubles didn’t end with the house’s condition.
In September 2023, Tony Saxon, a former employee hired to manage the remodel, sued West over allegedly dangerous working conditions and unpaid wages. The suit is still making its way through the court.
Saxon, who claims he was hired as a project manager and served as a full-time security guard and live-in caretaker, described his grueling 16-hour workdays in the lawsuit.
His responsibilities included cleaning, construction, demolition, coordinating workers, hiring contractors and providing 24/7 security.
Saxon alleges he was forced to sleep in “makeshift conditions” on the ground with his coat as bedding, and that his complaints about safety hazards — such as “workers unsafely demolishing various parts of the house with no safety equipment” — were ignored by West.
The final straw came when Saxon refused to remove all the windows and electricity from the home, leading to his firing in November 2021. According to the lawsuit, West told Saxon, “If you don’t do what I say, you’re not going to work for me, I’m not gonna be your friend anymore and you’ll just see me on TV.”
Saxon also claims he was promised $20,000 per week but only received one payment of $20,000 for his services and another of $100,000 as the project’s weekly budget.
His attorney, Ron Zambrano, filed a mechanics lien on the property in January 2024, which could potentially force the sale of the property to cover the alleged $1 million West still owes Saxon. The current status of that lien is unknown.
“We just want to make sure [West] has enough money to pay the more than $1 million he still owes our client before he goes completely broke,” Zambrano told People.
A lawyer for West did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Tadao Ando, the home includes 4,000 square feet of interior space and 1,500 square feet of outdoor living areas.
When the property was listed, Oppenheim praised the rarity of owning a home crafted by one of the world’s most celebrated minds, noting that Ando has designed fewer than 20 homes in the US.
“I wanted to have a listing with such architectural pedigree,” Oppenheim told People, adding that the property’s Malibu Road location is “one of the most desirable areas in the world.”
He emphasized that the value of the property was “really in its structure,” with the home being constructed of approximately 1,200 tons of concrete, 200 tons of steel reinforcement and 12 “massive” pylons driven more than 60 feet into the sand.