Michelle Obama reportedly rented a $23 million home in the Hollywood Hills this week amid speculation the former first family is considering a move to Los Angeles.
According to TMZ, Obama stayed in the new-construction pad known as the “Shark House” because it is outfitted with an “open-air aquarium” with various types of sharks. The entertainment outlet said there is “incredible security” at the home, but it was shut off while Obama stayed Monday and Tuesday. “One realtor, who’s very well connected in the area, tells TMZ the buzz is that Michelle might be scoping out the neighborhood and/or that particular house to set down roots,” the site reported.
Mercury News reports:
The “ultra modern, glossy and boxy” home is a spec house, built for ultra-exclusive clientele to rent or buy. The three-story home has seven bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, two pools, a “wellness center,” a massage room, a movie theater, a wine room and a special freezer for tequila and vodka.
As for the shark “pond,” real estate agent Sam Real of Nest Seekers International told Curbed Los Angeles that it is an uncovered 300-gallon tank, filled with stingrays, starfish, small houndsharks and other types of sharks. Behind the pond rises a living wall. Several stepping stones cross the tank, so that homeowners can watch their fish, “do yoga or read a newspapers and whatever you want to do,” Real said.
Watch Real tour the home below:
The Obamas have plenty of reasons to spend more time in Los Angeles. Last year, the couple’s production company — Higher Ground Productions — inked a lucrative agreement with Netflix to produce content for the streaming giant. During a fireside chat at a Las Vegas technology conference, former President Barack Obama shared his vision for joining forces with Netflix, saying that he wants to “train the next generation of leaders.” In April, Higher Ground announced that it will bring a biopic of slavery abolitionist Frederick Douglass to the streaming giant. Obama’s production company signed in an agreement in June with Spotify to produce podcasts exclusively for the digital music giant.
According to Fast Company, the company will “develop, produce, and lend their voices” to podcasts on Spotify.
“We’ve always believed in the value of entertaining, thought-provoking conversation. It helps us build connections with each other and open ourselves up to new ideas,” former President Obama said in a statement. “We’re excited about Higher Ground Audio because podcasts offer an extraordinary opportunity to foster productive dialogue, make people smile and make people think, and, hopefully, bring us all a little closer together.”
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