Actor Hugh Jackman is giving fans the chance to live rent-free for a month while his $40 million New York City apartment struggles to sell.
The 57-year-old Australian star has partnered with Ankur Jain, the founder of loyalty platform Bilt, for the company's latest Rent Free game show. The promotional contest features celebrity guests taking part in challenges to help members score a month without paying housing bills.
While Jackman works to relieve rent for competition winners, his own ultra-luxurious Manhattan pad remains firmly on the property market. Jackman, widely known for his iconic portrayal of Wolverine in the X-Men film series and his work in stage musicals, first listed the sprawling five-bedroom apartment for $40 million in March.
The listing arrived less than a year after his divorce from his former wife Deborra-Lee Furness was finalized. Jackman and Furness bought the palatial property for $33 million in 2008, an amount that equals over $40 million today when adjusted for inflation, meaning the actor hopes to make a substantial profit of several million dollars.
However, the residence has proved more difficult to shift than expected.
Listing history and rental attempts
The former couple initially attempted to sell the apartment in June 2022 for a whopping $54.2 million, which was more than $14 million above its current asking price. They withdrew the property from the market just two months later after failing to secure a buyer.
They subsequently took a different approach and listed the triplex for rent in September 2023 for an eye-watering $174,000 a month. That rental listing coincided with the period around when the couple publicly announced their separation.
The apartment was reportedly leased to a tenant who was expected to remain until December 2026. Despite that arrangement, the property appeared back on the market on March 31, where it has remained without an offer.
The listing deliberately makes no mention of its famous former owners and offers only very limited showings to prospective buyers. Property records show the home remains registered to the limited liability company Jackman and Furness used when they purchased it in 2008.
The residence is situated in Greenwich Village along the Hudson River waterfront. The West Village neighborhood is renowned for its tree-lined streets, historic brownstones, and high-end residential real estate developments.
Architectural features of the triplex
The three-storey property is located in a striking building on Perry Street designed by acclaimed architect Richard Meier. Meier, a Pritzker Architecture Prize winner known for his sleek glass structures and minimalist design, created the Perry Street towers, which have been described as a modernist masterpiece.
Spanning exactly 11,000 square feet, the enormous triplex boasts a double-height living room with walls of glass windows overlooking the Hudson River. "The residence's striking minimalist design makes it one of the most dramatic apartments in Manhattan," the official listing states.
The property features expansive entertaining spaces across its three levels, including a huge recreation room and an outdoor terrace situated on the eighth floor. The layout also includes a private library that can double as an additional guest bedroom.
Furness, 70, is an Australian actress, director, and humanitarian who married Jackman in 1996. The couple were married for nearly 27 years and raised two children together before announcing their split in late 2023.
Global Citizen Festival and charity hosting
While Jackman waits for a buyer to snap up his multimillion-dollar home, he has kept busy assisting others with their housing expenses and preparing for major philanthropic events. His collaboration with Bilt comes directly ahead of his next high-profile hosting engagement in New York.
Jackman is set to host the annual Global Citizen Festival at Central Park's Great Lawn on September 26. Global Citizen is an international advocacy organization that uses music festivals and activism campaigns to lobby world leaders and corporate heads.
Around 60,000 people are expected to gather in Central Park for the concert, which aims to support global efforts to combat extreme poverty. The Great Lawn, located in the middle of Central Park between 79th and 86th Streets, serves as one of Manhattan's premier outdoor event spaces.
As the festival approaches, the actor continues his dual role of helping game show contestants secure free rent while searching for a buyer willing to take over his own $40 million Manhattan estate.
