Playboy Mansion Sold To Twinkies Owner

Many laughed when news broke earlier this year that Hugh Hefner would sell the Playboy Mansion for $200 million with the stipulation that he would continue to live there.

Representatives for Playboy Enterprises and Daren Metropoulos confirmed on Monday that Metropoulos’s bid to buy Hefner’s man cave is in escrow.

The home in LA’s fashionable Holmby Hills was originally listed at $US200 million ($271.44 million), but local real estate agents said at the time that appeared ridiculously overpriced.

There is no word on the final deal, but Hefner, who is 90 years old, will get to stay at the mansion for the rest of his life. A nearby property sold past year for $US59 million.

The Wall Street Journal is also reporting that along with Hef’s house, Playboy Enterprises itself may be on the market and could fetch over $500 million.

According to the original property listing, a catering kitchen, wine cellar, tennis court and a four-bedroom guest house are also included in the property.

Metropoulos’s home was built in 1929 and sits on about 0.81ha.

After that, Metropoulos plans to merge his property with Hefner’s, creating a 7.3-acre compound featuring the two stately 1920s-era mansions.

Mr Metropoulos, who is the co-owner of the Hostess Brands, maker of the American snack Twinkies, bought the house next door from Mr Hefner in 2009 for £18m.

Metropoulos is a principal at Metropoulos & Co, a private equity firm.

“The heritage of this property transcends its celebrity, and to have the opportunity to serve as its steward would be a true privilege”, Metropoulos said.