Donald Trump Helps Ed McMahon By Buying His Home

By Dianna Cooper
15:00, August 15th 2008

American business magnate Donald Trump has agreed to purchase Ed McMahon’s crib for an unrevealed amount of money and lease it back to him.

"I don't know the man, but I grew up watching him on TV," Trump said in an exclusive interview with The Times.

For failing to pay $4.8 million in mortgage loans with Countrywide Financial Corp, the comedian and game show host has some financial problems. According to his declaration, he wasn’t capable to work due to a neck injury he suffered a year and a half ago.

Ed McMahon is famous for introducing Johnny Carson for 30 years, using his well-known line “Heeeeeeeere’s Johnny” and also for being the host of the popular TV talent show “Star Search” in the 80’s and 90’s. The former TV star’s financial problems became known in June when he revealed that he was fighting foreclosure because he didn’t manage to pay in time the mortgage payments on his home from Beverly Hills, California.

Trump said he intervened for the reason that lending a hand to the aging television personality "would be an honor." His intention is to buy the house from the lender and allow McMahon to keep on living in it.

"When I was at the Wharton School of Business, I'd watch him every night. How could this happen?" Trump rhetorically asked.

The Beverly Hills house, which includes six bedrooms and five bathrooms among other rooms, had been put up for sale about two years ago. Some time ago, the crib was listed at over $7 million but its price increased up to $4.6 million this weekend. In 1990, when McMahon became the owner of the house, he paid $2.6 million, public records showed.

According to Howard Bragman, spokesman for McMahon, the official procedure for purchasing the house hasn’t been completed yet. However, the TV icon had confidence, believing that the deal will be made, Bragman told The Associated Press.

Ed McMahon is facing also a lawsuit by Citibank, which claims that the former “Tonight Show” sidekick has to give back nearly $200,000. On the other hand, McMahon sued a hospital, two doctors and a homeowner over the neck injury that made him unable to work. He claims that the doctors didn’t take an X-ray and they failed to diagnose his broken neck.