Entertainment

Tarek El Moussa’s Controversial L.A. Condo Project: Drama Explained on August 10, 2023 at 11:54 pm Us Weekly

Published

3 years ago

August 11, 2023

Tarek El Moussa John Salangsang/Shutterstock

Tarek El Moussa made a name for himself for great work on HGTV’s Flip or Flop— but his latest condo project in Los Angeles is bringing more heat than applause.

El Moussa made headlines in August 2023 when news broke that he was allegedly evicting tenants from L.A.’s North Hollywood neighborhood for a $50 million development called NoHo 138. To make matters worse, El Moussa’s wife, Heather Rae El Moussa, is tied to the project.

Tarek’s investment company, TEM Capital, and Heather’s company, HEM Capital, are among the many partners working on the building. The couple, who tied the knot in October 2021, haven’t confirmed whether the construction will be featured on their joint HGTV series, Flipping El Moussas — but Tarek has denied any nefarious actions on their part during the building process.

“Even though I am being dragged for false accusations and misconceptions, my intentions are to do good, and I hope that we can focus on the positive and the facts,” he wrote in an August 2023 Instagram statement.

Scroll down to learn about the controversial build:

What Is the Project?

Tarek’s team announced in April 2023 that it would be developing a luxury condo complex in North Hollywood that investors could buy into. The Flipping 101 star confirmed the project the following month via Instagram.

“As someone who grew up in California, this is something that is really big to me!! @temcapital is so excited to tell you about my biggest flip yet — our new development project in North Hollywood!” Tarek captioned the clip. “This is 138 units and is a brand-new construction!!” He proceeded to speak to his followers directly, explaining that it’s an “incredible location” that he got “off market.”

The space will feature amenities such as a gym, rooftop deck, community pool and spacious balconies for each unit.

When Will Construction Begin?

The luxury complex is expected to break ground in 2024, according to the project’s website. Construction is expected to be complete in 2026.

How Many Units Will Be in the New Complex?

The building is slated to include 14 low-income units as part of the overall 138-unit location.

Why Is the Project Getting Backlash?

While Tarek was teasing the new venture in May 2023, news broke that the previous property owner, Arthur Aslanian, had used unsafe tactics to make tenants vacate the land. The landlord, who has since sold the land to Tarek, was convicted in federal court of hiring someone to set fire to vacant units on the site, according to The Los Angeles Times. The arson tactic was part of a “years-long illegal harassment campaign to force them to leave,” several tenants told the newspaper in an article published in August 2023.

The five remaining tenants claimed in the interview that Tarek and Heather, and their respective real estate investment firms, are allegedly evicting them from their rent-controlled units.

David Buchan/Shutterstock

What Has Tarek Said About the Controversy?

Tarek released a statement in August 2023 and denied that he or Heather were unlawfully evicting any residents from their homes. “Notices to the tenants were served by the current owner, not by me or the partners of NoHo 138. I am not evicting anyone. We did not issue the Ellis Act relocation documents,” he alleged.

Tarek cited the city of Los Angeles’ rules and regulations, claiming that everyone involved on the build have been following the guidelines. “The partners of NoHo 138 have attempted to get in touch with the remaining tenants to have an amicable discussion regarding final move out agreements. The partners of Noho 138 have also reached out to the attorney representing the Hartsook tenants to request assistance in facilitating a meeting between both parties,” he continued. “Our intentions are to work with the tenants to offer a great opportunity for them while helping to improve the neighborhood.”

The Tarek’s Flip Side star alleged that once his team formally acquired NoHo 138, they have had a goal to “construct a safe and pristine new apartment complex.” He noted that the project “will provide hundreds of new jobs through the construction process, provide a boost to city tax revenue which will be allocated for homeless programs and other socially impactful programs as promoted by the current city administration, create 131 new parking spaces to help reduce the impact of street parking, provide tenants an opportunity to come back and live in a newly constructed apartment, as well as create a beautiful new community to attract a diverse base of residents.”

Tarek concluded: “The entire process has been and will continue to be handled according to the law, and the existing tenants will continue to be treated respectfully and lawfully. I look forward to being a great addition and neighbor to the community.”

How Have Tenants Reacted to Tarek’s Statement?

Clare Letmon, an organizer and tenant of the Hartsook Street bungalows, told People in an August 2023 statement that Tarek “basically called us liars” when he claimed he was being “dragged for false accusations and misconceptions” in regard to the new complex. Letmon claimed that despite multiple attempts to speak with the El Moussas directly, Tarek hasn’t responded to the tenants since July 14, 2023.

“When you post videos standing in front of the arson damage, talking about the biggest flip of your life and this opportunity to make so much money, you’re exploiting the crimes that the landlord committed against the people who used to live here and you’re doing it with a smile on your face,” Letmon explained. “It would be incredibly heartbreaking to watch this place get bulldozed — and the trees, and the garden, and just the history that’s here.”

Earlier in the month, several tenants spoke with the L.A. Times about the possible eviction. “It’s been my home for 40 years,” Cathy Livas, who pays $824 a month to live in one of the units, told the outlet. “Why would I want to live anywhere else? Do you know the price of rents?”

Is Anything Tarek Doing Illegal?

Landlords have a right to legally “go out of business” and evict tenants whenever they see fit under the California Ellis Act, according to the Los Angeles House Department.

Tarek’s team insisted on the project website that “the entire process has been and will continue to be handled justly through the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) and a legal relocation advisor in order to make 100 percent sure the relocation is performed according to the law.” The building group also noted that “monetary compensation” will be offered to tenants who wish to vacate their homes early.

Tarek El Moussa made a name for himself for great work on HGTV’s Flip or Flop— but his latest condo project in Los Angeles is bringing more heat than applause. El Moussa made headlines in August 2023 when news broke that he was allegedly evicting tenants from L.A.’s North Hollywood neighborhood for a $50 million

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Entertainment

DJ Shinski Brings AfriqueFest To Life

Published

5 days ago

June 16, 2026

Bolanle Media Staff

AfriqueFest: Pan-African Musical Experience — World Cup Edition is set to take over Noto Houston on Sunday, June 28, bringing together East, South, and West African sounds in one immersive celebration of music, culture, and connection. Presented by Experience Noir and Bolanle Media, the event is designed as a cinematic night for the culture, blending global energy with Houston nightlife in a way that feels elevated, intentional, and deeply rooted in African creativity.

Spotlight on DJ Shinski

At the heart of this year’s experience is DJ Shinski. Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya and now based in Houston, DJ Shinski has built an international name off high-energy sets that move effortlessly across Afrobeats, Amapiano, hip‑hop, dancehall, reggae, and electronic sounds.

He has also become Africa’s most‑subscribed DJ on YouTube, crossing the 2‑million‑subscriber mark and turning his mixes into a global destination for music lovers.

DJ Shinski’s style is precise but unpredictable: one moment it’s classic Afrobeats, the next it’s East African anthems, then a run of throwback hip‑hop or R&B that still feels fresh. That ability to read a room and connect multiple worlds in a single set is exactly why AfriqueFest is building so much of the night’s energy around him.

At AfriqueFest, DJ Shinski helps drive the Safari Grooves segment, representing East and Central Africa from 4 PM to 6 PM. Expect a journey that moves from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam, Kampala, Addis, and beyond, all filtered through his signature “vibes on vibes” approach behind the decks.

DJ Tunez and the rest of the night

Supporting that energy, DJ Tunez leads the Gold Coast Beats chapter from 8 PM to 10 PM, bringing his own Nigerian‑American Afrobeats pedigree to the stage. Together with the Diamond Rhythms segment (South) and a curated roster of DJs, the night stretches across the continent in three distinct musical chapters, all connected by a single dance floor.

Hosted by @chris_gone_crazy, @kingdrewwskyy, @roselynomaka, and @samsnewleaf, AfriqueFest is positioned as more than a party—it’s a celebration of sound, style, and Pan‑African identity in Houston, with DJ Shinski anchoring the experience from the moment doors open.

Brought to you by Bolanle Media & Experience Noir

Brought to you by Bolanle Media and Experience Noir, this World Cup edition of AfriqueFest is crafted as a night where global DJs, storytellers, and music lovers collide and create a shared cultural memory. With DJ Shinski front and center—and DJ Tunez helping close the night—guests can expect a show that reflects both the future of African nightlife and the power of the diaspora to create unforgettable live moments.

If you want to experience DJ Shinski live at AfriqueFest, now is the time to lock in your spot. Purchase your tickets now at AfriqueFest.com and get ready for a night of music, movement, and culture at Noto Houston.

Entertainment

STREAMING PREMIERE · JUNE 13, 2026

Published

1 week ago

June 13, 2026

Bolanle Media Staff

Laughter Meets Inspiration: Our Ladies Show Lands on The Roku Channel

A bold new sketch comedy series for women premieres June 13 across the U.S., U.K., and Canada — arriving on the back of a festival-winning run that has critics and audiences already paying attention.

It isn’t every day a brand-new comedy arrives already wearing a row of trophies. Our Ladies Show does. The seven-episode inspirational sketch comedy series — created, written by, and starring Christin Jezak — begins streaming on The Roku Channel on Friday, June 13, 2026, available free to viewers in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada.

Produced in partnership with global media services leader Encompass Digital Media, the series sets out to do something rare in today’s streaming landscape: make women laugh out loud and leave them lifted. In a media moment crowded with noise and cynicism, Our Ladies Show is a deliberate counterweight — comedy with a conscience, built for women of every age and background.

A Show Built Around Real Life — and Real Laughs

Each of the seven episodes opens with a monologue from one of the cast members introducing the theme, then rolls into three or more sketches that hit the subject from every comedic angle. The series tackles the things women actually carry: holding grudges, comparison, beauty, patience, gift giving, the importance of community, and dealing with anxiety.

The comedy comes from a place of warmth rather than mockery — a “laugh at ourselves” spirit that runs through a gallery of unforgettable characters: a nosey neighbor, an overwhelmed mom, relentlessly optimistic flight attendants, beauty pageant winners past their prime, and a crew of unruly campers with a counselor who simply cannot hold it together.

Then the show does something most sketch series don’t. In the final segment of every episode, the cast gathers in a living-room setting and invites the audience in — sharing real inspiration drawn from the theme, the sketches, and their own personal stories. It’s the moment the laughter turns into something that stays with you.

The Women Behind the Show

Our Ladies Show brings together three performers with serious range:

Christin Jezak — creator, writer, and star (Miracle at Manchester, Raising Hope, Jimmy Kimmel Live!)
Hillary Hawkins — (Primal, Nick Jr.’s Play Along, Gullah Gullah Island)
Sarah Hernandez — (Nefarious, Unplanned, House of Payne)

“In a world with so much division and depression, I hope women of all ages and backgrounds will watch this show, laugh, be reminded of how beautiful, unique, and loved they are, and remember how much we need each other.”— Christin Jezak, Creator & Star

Already a Festival Favorite

The series’ recurring long-form sketch, Neighborhood Watch, didn’t arrive quietly. Originally released as a web series and revamped for Our Ladies Show with new footage, sound, and music, it has been sweeping the festival circuit:

🏆 Best Webseries — 2026 New Media Film Festival (Los Angeles)
🏆 Best Web/TV Series — Paris Film Awards
🏆 Best Web Series — Dallas Movie Awards
🏅 Additional wins at the London Movie Awards, Florence Film Awards, and Hollywood Gold Awards
🎬 Official Selection — 2026 Harvard Divinity School Film Fest
⭐ Finalist — Houston Comedy Film Festival
📣 Three nominations — 2025 Content Christian Media Conference, including Best Actress in a TV and Web Series nods for both Christin Jezak and Sarah Hernandez

Where and When to Watch

Our Ladies Show premieres Friday, June 13, 2026, streaming on The Roku Channel — the home of premium and free entertainment — in the U.S., U.K., and Canada. All seven episodes deliver the series’ signature blend of sharp sketch comedy and genuine encouragement.

Watch the trailer now on your platform of choice:

For more information, visit www.ourladiesshow.com and follow @ourladiesshow on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

About Christin Jezak

Christin Jezak has worked for over 15 years in the entertainment industry. She created and stars in Our Ladies Show and the award-winning web series Neighborhood Watch. She produced the EWTN TV program For the Sake of the Gospel and the all-women web series Ladies Keepin’ It Real, played Dr. Sam in Miracle at Manchester (starring Dean Cain, Daniel Roebuck, and Eddie McClintock), and voices Agnes in the podcast Confessions of a Catholic Single. She held a lead role in a short film for NTT Data directed by Academy Award–winning cinematographer Janusz Kamiński, has co-starred on Raising Hope, and appeared in Jimmy Kimmel sketches and a Grubhub Super Bowl commercial.

About The Roku Channel

Roku pioneered streaming on TV and is the #1 TV streaming platform in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico by hours streamed (Hypothesis Group, Dec. 2025). The Roku Channel is the home of premium and free entertainment, alongside Roku’s Howdy and Frndly TV services. Roku is headquartered in San Jose, California.

About Encompass Digital Media

Encompass Digital Media is a global managed services company — technology-driven, software-defined, and people-powered. Trusted by world-leading broadcasters, networks, sports rights-holders, and OTT platforms, it processes over 25,000 hours of content daily, serves 850 channels to 84 countries, distributes over 243,000 live events annually, and reaches 400 million radio listeners weekly worldwide. Learn more at www.encompass.tv.

Media & Interview Requests: To interview creator Christin Jezak or the cast, contact Christin at cjezak@p2ptheatre.com.

Entertainment

What Filmmakers Should Actually Steal From Euphoria

Published

2 weeks ago

June 4, 2026

Bolanle Media Staff

Most of the talk about Euphoria asks one question: was it realistic? That’s the wrong question if you make films. The better one is simpler. How did Sam Levinson get an audience to feel addiction from the inside? And what did it cost him to end the show the way he did?

Strip away the noise and Euphoria is a clinic in three choices: point of view, style, and the ending. Here’s what’s worth taking — and what isn’t.

1. Put the Camera Inside the Character

Most shows about drugs watch from across the room. Euphoria doesn’t. When Rue is high, the camera is high too. Walls breathe. Floors tilt. Time skips. You’re not watching her — you’re stuck inside her head.

That’s the lesson: point of view is a decision you make with the camera and the cut, not a mood you add later in color. Levinson builds it into the lens, the blocking, and the edit.

So before you shoot a scene through a character’s eyes, ask one thing on set: whose eyes is this lens standing in for? Then make every cut respect that.

2. Your Style Has to Mean Something

The glitter. The slow push-ins. The impossible club lighting. Euphoria‘s look got copied everywhere. That’s the trap.

The style worked because it carried weight. The beauty wasn’t decoration — it was the lie addiction tells you, the reason the next high looks worth it. The camera made self-destruction gorgeous on purpose.

The copies missed that. A thousand music videos took the look and left the meaning behind, and you can feel how hollow they are. So here’s the test: if your signature style could be swapped onto any other project and still “work,” it’s not a style. It’s a filter. Every choice should have a reason behind it.

3. The Ending Tells the Audience What It All Meant

When Euphoria ended for good in Season 3, Levinson killed Rue — an accidental, fentanyl-laced overdose. He called it “the honest ending,” saying he wanted to tell a true story about addiction and grief in a time when one mistake can be the last one. Reportedly, that wasn’t the original plan; the death of Angus Cloud, who played Fezco, changed the script.

Forget whether you agree with the choice. Study how it works. An ending is the last instruction you give your audience about how to read everything before it.

By ending on consequence instead of recovery, Levinson reframed seven years of beautiful chaos as a story about cost — not a celebration of it.

It’s also the show’s most debatable move, and that’s worth noticing too. A show that spent years making pain look beautiful had to fight to make that pain land as loss. Did it earn the ending, or enjoy the wreckage too long to stick it? Smart filmmakers will disagree — and that argument is exactly what a good ending is supposed to start.

What Not to Take

The neon grief is the most copied part. It’s also the least useful. Take the surface — the colors, the slow-mo, the trauma-as-texture — and you get the costume without the body.

The real craft is underneath. Commit your camera to a real point of view. Make every stylistic choice earn its place. Treat your ending as the point of the whole thing. Do that, and your work won’t look like Euphoria. It’ll do what Euphoria did.

This piece touches on addiction and substance use. If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available through the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.