Inside The Doomed Bel-Air Mansion Abandoned By Gigi And Bella Hadid’s Father

From a distance, this vast structure perched on the edge of the Bel Air hills looks like it will one day be fit for a king. But moving closer, you’ll notice there’s not a construction worker in sight. Tarpaulin flaps in the wind. Giant squares in the front remain gaping and windowless. And the building materials are strewn about the place – almost as if the builders popped out for lunch only to never return. So, how did a house with such magnificent potential end up in such a state? Well, it seems scandal follows closely behind wealth...

Famous daughters

The building is owned by Mohamed Hadid, father to supermodels Bella and Gigi. Back in the 1980s he made a name for himself as a property developer – and an incredibly successful one at that. As a one-time refugee from Palestine, he didn’t move to the USA until he was 14 years old. Since then, though, Hadid has certainly lived the American Dream – until this building began to cause him problems, anyway.

Faint echoes of wealth

Despite its current condition, the home still has faint echoes of the incredible riches that built it. Hadid, it seems, has had expensive taste ever since the very beginning of his career. And why not? He was just 20 years old when he invested in a Greek nightclub and started to watch the money roll in. Later, he branched out into real estate – as well as having a family, of course.

Hadid family

Did you know that Bella and Gigi aren’t the only Hadid kids? There are five of them in total. The two supermodels have a younger brother called Anwar, whom you might have seen on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. And they also have two half-sisters called Marielle and Alana via Mohamad’s first wife, Mary Butler.

Family values

The fact that Hadid has two supermodel daughters has never bothered him. “My parents were liberal,” he told Vogue magazine in 2020. “We were raised to do whatever you can and whatever you want, as long as you are safe. I let my kids do the same. I get a lot of heat. ‘How do you let your daughters walk around half-naked?’ It bothers me to hear it, but I’m always very kind.”