The mansion that once belonged to late soap creators William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, who gave birth to The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, has reportedly been sold to Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
LeBron James Buys The Bold and the Beautiful Estate
The Real Deal, a site that specializes in the L.A. real estate market, first reported the news. The article states that James is in a contract to purchase the mansion, familiar to fans of BB for its exteriors which double for Eric (John McCook) and Quinn’s (Rena Sofer) mansion.
The Bells purchased the home in 1986 when the family moved from Chicago to Beverly Hills so that Bill could more closely monitor the daily taping at YR and so that the family could start up BB.
Not surprisingly, YR rose in the ratings after the Bells moved to the west coast. The hour-long serial took the top spot in the ratings in December 1988. The Bold and the Beautiful premiered on March 23, 1987. The show used the estate grounds to shoot many remotes over the years including when Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) drove to the mansion after Ridge (then-Ronn Moss; now-Thorsten Kaye) invited her to live with him.
The show also taped on the grounds when Thorne (Clayton Norcross) shot Ridge and many other times, too. The asking price for the home was reportedly $39 million, but it’s unconfirmed as to what James is buying it for. The estate is a 13,000-square-foot property on a 2.5-acre plot. It has seven fireplaces, a lighted tennis court, a pool house with two baths, and a screening room.
Prior to moving to Los Angeles, Bell wrote soaps from his home in Chicago while Lee worked as a broadcaster, hosting news, talk shows, and documentaries on WBBM-TV in the Windy City. Bill passed away in 2005. Lee died in February of this year.
This will be James’ third home in the Los Angeles area. He has two homes in Brentwood. He is a three-time NBA Champion, four-time MVP, and is considered by many to the game’s best player since Michael Jordan.
The next time BB shows exteriors of the Forrester home, it’ll likely be existing footage. Perhaps the show, which is set in L.A., will invite James onto the show to appear as himself. The Bold and the Beautiful (BB) airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings for airtimes.
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