Donald Trump buys Ed McMahons house and lets him live in it
I really, really dislike Donald Trump, mostly because of his dreadful show, but this story has softened my attitude. Not so much that I’ll watch his show, but I won’t scream at the television about the state of entertainment when I see it advertised, as if Donald Trump is somehow responsible for the reality television phenomenon. Trump is buying Ed McMahon’s house, which was slated for foreclosure, and lis etting him stay in it:
Mega-developer and TV personality Donald Trump has agreed to buy Ed McMahon’s Beverly Hills house for an undisclosed amount and allow McMahon to continue living in it. Details of the deal are still being ironed out.
“I don’t know the man, but I grew up watching him on TV,” Trump said in an exclusive interview with The Times.
McMahon, 85, was facing foreclosure within two weeks on his Beverly Hills home of 18 years. The aging television icon, who was Johnny Carson’s sidekick for three decades, defaulted on $4.8 million in mortgage loans with Countrywide Financial Corp. He said in interviews that he was unable to work because of a neck injury that occurred about 18 months ago.
Trump said he stepped in because helping McMahon “would be an honor.” His plan is to buy the home from the lender and lease it back to McMahon.
“When I was at the Wharton School of Business,” Trump said, “I’d watch him every night. How could this happen?”
The Don is no fool. While the house was initially listed at $7million, but dropped to $4.6million, no matter what The Don pays he’ll get more than that value out of the good publicity given him. Donald previously offered to help Ed and his shopaholic wife Pamela out, but reports suggested the offer was for publicity and not genuine. While Donald is probably only doing it for publicity, help is help no matter the motive.
I also think it is an incredibly kind thing to do. As a lover of antique furniture I often go to sales where the home owner if forced to move for varying reasons, and they always seem so sad. At 85 it seems only right that Ed McMahon keeps his home, even if he does have severe debts.
Another man has had a serious role in this, who perhaps deserves more kudos than Donald Trump. Ed McMahon’s listing agent Alex Davis flew to New York this past weekend to personally appeal to Donald to help out his client. This goes above and beyond the call of duty. He obviously caught The Don at a good time – his son announced today that another little Trump will soon be joining the empire.
Ed McMahon is shown at the Simpsons Movie on 7/24/07. Credit: John Cronise/ WENN. Donald Trump is shown at the Sex and The City premiere on 5/27/08. Credit: WENN.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmamtlboZwsM6nmKWcj6m%2FtrnPmJmusaOUsqWrzJykmqCfo8CgtM6uqp6XkaOxoLjEraqYoJmirK211Z6WoqaPnsFw