The man behind Selling Sunset might see the sun set on his real estate career sooner rather than later — if his critics have a say in the matter.
Jason Oppenheim has graced screens for a few years now as the low-key Oppenheim Group co-founder, alongside his bro Brett, in their wildly popular Netflix series. But the world of high-end real estate just got really, really treacherous for Jason. And it can all be blamed on one person: Kanye West!
Right now, Ye is trying to unload a beachfront house in Malibu. The property is on the market for $53 million and sits literally on the water. So it’s an ideal Oppenheim listing! Extravagant, luxurious, expensive, and tied to a celebrity! And there are a million issues with the property — namely that the Hurricane rapper gutted the place and intended to renovate before all that fell through, and it went up for sale. At this point it’s apparently sitting abandoned and trashed like Ye’s church…
Related: Kanye Raps About… Having A Baby With Bianca Censori?!
But reno woes aside, simply being tied to Kanye at all is causing HUGE problems for the Selling Sunset star. On Thursday morning, TMZ published some surprising takes from a variety of El Lay-area real estate agents. These high-end home experts offered up thoughts on Jason working so closely with somebody who is so very obviously and worryingly antisemitic.
The outlet cited one unnamed realtor who claimed the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East is indeed spoken about among clients and agents. Which makes sense. It’s a big issue! And considering Ye’s very vocal views on Jewish people, that doesn’t look so good for Jason as far as other agents are concerned. One told the outlet:
“Wait a minute. Kanye is one of the biggest antisemites in the world. I would never represent him, ever.”
Whoa!
Other agents were more skeptical about interrogating Ye for his opinions — or anyone for their views, for that matter:
“Are we supposed to see if a client is a registered Republican and say screw you, I’m not representing you?”
Another luxury broker wondered where the line is to be drawn:
“What if a client has an offensive post on Instagram? Or what if a client’s in the middle of nasty divorce and I side with their spouse?”
It’s a valid question! Some agents told the outlet they’d Google prospective clients (especially in the case of celebs like Kanye) to see about their views. Others said it was patently ridiculous to do so, with one saying pre-screenings like that are “just not reality.” And on it went! One skeptical agent concluded:
“At some point it just becomes impossible to do business. What about the buyer who pays Kanye $53 million for the Malibu property? What if Kanye goes to a Mercedes dealership. Should they not sell him a car?”
Valid questions, all. We can understand agents wanting to get deals done — especially in a brutal market like this one. And we can also understand agents wanting to stay the f**k away from a toxic and antisemitic person like Kanye! After all, money isn’t everything.
TBH, it’ll be interesting to see if there is long-term fallout here for Jason. He’s been very well respected since Selling Sunset first aired. The show is a huge property for Netflix, and their Selling The OC spin-off also promises to be a streaming sensation. So there is a lot to lose here for the Oppenheim Group from that standpoint.
Related: Is Kim Kardashian Really Being ‘Targeted’ By Bianca Censori?!
Plus, one must consider Jason’s other clients! Whether he chooses to do business with Ye is one thing, but in the circles he runs, we’re sure his firm must help a LOT of Jewish buyers and sellers. The Jewish community in El Lay is massive and very well-connected. Would they turn against him after this??
By the way, in case you are wondering, the Oppenheim family “is of Jewish descent.” So says Jason’s Wikipedia page, at least. His religious life has never been discussed on the show. But he has had Jewish employees — for instance, agent Maya Vander is Israeli! She was a heartwarming presence on Selling Sunset before she departed (on good terms) a couple seasons back. So there’s potentially even more at stake than reputation if he offends his own employees — and family!
What do U make of Jason’s Kanye problems, Perezcious readers?? Should he continue to rep the controversy-stirrer in the Malibu deal, or dump him FAST? Sound off with your takes down in the comments (below)…
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