‘Really dumb’: Buyer slams Kanye West’s Malibu demolition

Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has finally sold his Malibu mansion to Bo Belmont, a real estate investment CEO, for a $53 million loss. 

The rapper and former husband of Kim Kardashian originally bought the Malibu house for $US57.3 million ($73 million) in 2021. He sold the house to Belmont for $US21 million ($30 million) in August 2024, after nine months on the market. 

According to Belmont, “unfinished renovations and subsequent damage” was the reason behind the massively reduced price. 

Over the next 12 months, he plans to spend $US5 million restoring the mansion to its former glory. 

Earlier this year, Ye came under fire for destroying the house, including removing the doors, windows, electricity and plumbing, and ripping the glazing off the floors – with design publication Archinect describing it as an “architectural cadaver”. 

The house had been designed by Osaka-born architect Tadao Ando, and was considered an architectural jewel of Malibu prior to Ye’s changes. 

“My goal is to make it as though Kanye was never there. The house will be restored right back to what it was,” Belmont said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. 

He was particularly critical of Ye’s decision to remove the floor glazing, saying: “That was a really dumb move. Really no purpose.”