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Five years ago, comedian Chelsea Handler bought the former home of Cheryl Hines and Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, RFK Jr. The $5.9 million home ended up being more trouble than Handler expected. She said that because of issues found by inspectors, she couldn’t move into the house for years. Here’s a look at the house she bought from Hines and Kennedy.

Chelsea Handler said RFK Jr.’s house was a ‘toxic’ disaster

While Handler revealed that she had recently moved into the home she purchased from Hines and Kennedy, it had taken years for her to reach this point. Inspectors told her the environment was too toxic for her to live in.

“Five years ago … I bought his house from [RFK Jr.] and Cheryl Hines,” she said on her Dear Chelsea podcast. “I did not know I was buying it from him. It was anonymous. I still have not lived in this house. That’s how f***ed up this house was. The idea that this guy is in charge of the health of our country, when he didn’t even have a proper foundation at his house. And when [the inspectors] opened up the house, they were like, ‘This house is the most toxic environment. You cannot live here for at least two years.’ I’m not exaggerating. It was a disaster.”

In a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Handler joked that she contracted “chlamydia, measles, and herpes” from the home.

Even after Handler remodeled the home, she ran into issues. There was an “illegal” storage shed on the property that inspectors had to remove. 

Inside the $6 million home

Per House Digest, Handler’s Monterey Colonial-inspired home was built in 1937. The 5,474 square foot house has four bedrooms and four-and-a-half bathrooms. It also has a guest house and a detached studio that opens onto the backyard.

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The house’s outdoor space is one of its biggest selling points. It features large balconies that overlook a fire pit, bar, built-in grill, and swimming pool in the backyard. It sits on close to half an acre of land.

Sources close to RFK Jr. have pushed back against Chelsea Handler’s claims

Sources close to Hines and Kennedy claim that Handler is at fault for the house’s issues. 

“Chelsea victimized herself,” a source told Page Six. “She pulled the trigger on a $6 million house, and it was her responsibility and her inspector’s [to raise issues]. Why is she waiting five years later to bring it up?”

They added that the problems didn’t become apparent until Handler began remodeling. Still, this means they were present before she purchased the home. 

“Any issues with the property were only discovered as Chelsea’s team started to tear down walls for a major remodel,” they said. “It’s an older house, and she had every opportunity to check it out.”

They believe Handler’s complaints about the house stem from the fact that “she doesn’t care for the [Trump] administration — she hates Trump and anyone associated with him, that’s the reason.”

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