Hugh Jackman is giving renters a chance to escape their housing costs for a month, even as the Hollywood star continues to search for a buyer for his own multimillion-dollar Manhattan residence.
The 57-year-old Australian actor has partnered with Bilt founder Ankur Jain for the company’s latest “Rent Free” game show, in which celebrities participate in challenges designed to help Bilt members win a month without paying rent.
The timing is striking, given that Jackman has been unable to sell his own luxury New York apartment despite placing it on the market earlier this year.
$29 Million Manhattan Property Remains Unsold
Jackman’s sprawling five-bedroom triplex was listed in March for US$29 million, equivalent to about AU$40 million.
The property was purchased by Jackman and his former wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, for US$29.3 million in 2008. Adjusted for inflation, the original purchase price is now worth more than US$40 million, meaning Jackman is seeking a significant return from the sale.
The apartment became available for sale less than a year after the couple’s divorce was finalized.
A Property That Has Been Difficult to Sell
The current listing is not the first attempt to find a buyer for the Manhattan residence.
Jackman and Furness previously put the apartment on the market in June 2022 for approximately US$54.2 million. That price was more than US$14 million higher than its current asking price, but the property was withdrawn only two months later.
The former couple later switched strategies, offering the residence for rent in September 2023 at an extraordinary US$174,000 per month, around the time they announced their separation.
The property was reportedly rented to a tenant whose lease was expected to run through December 2026. However, the apartment returned to the market on March 31.
Inside the Three-Storey Luxury Residence
The residence occupies 11,000 square feet across three levels in a distinctive building on Perry Street designed by renowned architect Richard Meier.
It has been marketed as a modernist masterpiece, with the listing emphasizing its minimalist architecture and dramatic scale.
Among its most striking features is a double-height living room surrounded by expansive windows that provide views across the Hudson River.
The eighth-floor level also includes extensive entertaining areas, a large recreation room and a terrace, while a library can reportedly be converted into an additional guest bedroom.
The Listing Keeps Jackman’s Name Out
Despite the property’s connection to one of Hollywood’s most recognizable actors, prospective buyers would not immediately know that Jackman and Furness were its former owners from the current listing.
The marketing material deliberately avoids highlighting the celebrity connection and reportedly offers only very limited opportunities for potential buyers to view the residence.
Property records continue to show the home registered to the limited liability company used by Jackman and Furness when they purchased it in 2008.
Jackman Turns From Selling Luxury to Giving Away Rent
While the actor waits for his own property to change hands, he is now helping other people avoid rental payments through his collaboration with Bilt.
The “Rent Free” game show gives members the opportunity to compete in celebrity-led challenges for the chance to have their rent covered for a month.
The campaign places Jackman in an unusual position: he is helping ordinary renters escape their housing costs while attempting to sell one of Manhattan’s most expensive private residences.
Global Citizen Festival Awaits
Jackman’s Bilt collaboration comes shortly before another major commitment in New York.
The actor is set to host the Global Citizen Festival at Central Park’s Great Lawn on September 26. Organizers expect approximately 60,000 people to attend the event, which will focus on efforts to combat extreme poverty.
For now, however, Jackman’s own New York property remains one of his more difficult projects, with the actor still waiting for a buyer willing to pay the asking price for his extraordinary Manhattan home.
