Barbra Streisand and husband James Brolin live, predictably, in a swanky Malibu mansion surrounded by 3,000 rosebushes, dubbed an ‘idyllic oasis’ by an interior design magazine last year.
But for Brolin’s troubled younger son Jess, home is a tiny motel on the outskirts of the artsy celebrity-favorite California town Ojai.
The 52-year-old – the brother of Men in Black and Avengers star Josh, 56 – was recently spotted outside the three-star Topa Vista Hotel, which sits on a busy highway opposite a coffee shop and a hair salon, exclusive DailyMail.com photos show.
The younger Brolin – who weighs upwards of 350lbs – was also snapped again last week while out and about in downtown Ojai waiting for a bus.
Jess Brolin was snapped waiting for a bus in downtown Ojai, where he has been living in a modest housing
The 52-year-old, who is the stepson of Barbra Streisand through her husband James Brolin, was casually dressed in a black t-shirt with a Batman logo, a pair of baggy denim shorts and a pair of brown sneakers
Jess, who is visibly overweight, was dressed in a black t-shirt with a Batman logo, a pair of baggy denim shorts and battered brown sneakers with a bandage around his left ankle.
His temporary new home, which boasts of having ‘eight air-conditioned rooms’ each with a flat-screen TV, on its website, is owned by LA nightclub mogul Steve Edelson, 64.
Photos of the property show modest but comfortable-looking rooms, all decorated with wooden paneling and squashy leather armchairs.
Calls to the Topa Vista currently go straight to voicemail where a message said: ‘If you are calling for Topa Vista, we are fully booked at the moment.’
A source told DailyMail.com that the current guests, including Jess, have ‘been there for a few months and will be there for a few months more’.
As modest as Jess’s new home is, it represents a marked upswing in his fortunes.
Jess was with his famous family in 1998 when his father received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Jess, pictured last week, had previously made headlines a decade ago when he was photographed rummaging through trash in his neighborhood
Despite attempts by his family to help, Jess is still in temporary housing ten years later – now at the Topa Vista Inn – and has never tried to restart his showbiz career
The property, owned by LA nightclub mogul Steve Edelson, boasts of having ‘eight air-conditioned rooms’ each equipped with a flat-screen TV
In 2011, he was living out of a battered 1981 Toyota truck in the town after the trust fund he inherited from his mother ran out.
Jane Agee, the first of his father’s three wives, was tragically killed in a car accident in 1995 – 10 years after her divorce from the veteran actor.
Three years later, after the truck fell apart, Jess began bedding down in the street and was also photographed raiding a dumpster for food.
At the time, a representative for stepmom Barbra said the family had attempted to help but had their offers rejected, adding in a statement: ‘We have offered help and support, and continue to do so.
‘We love him very much and want only the best for him.’
Online photos of the property show modest but comfortable rooms. A source told DailyMail.com that the current guests, including Jess, have ‘been there for a few months and will be there for a few months more’
His current living situation, however, marks an upswing in his fortunes having previously lived out of a truck and on the streets
Jess was reportedly left homeless and penniless after the trust fund he inherited from his mother ran out in 2011. He is pictured walking home amid the SoCal heatwave last week with a gallon of water and Gatorade in hand
Reps for both James Brolin and Barbra Streisand did not immediately return DailyMail.com’s requests for comment.
Despite the offers of help, Jess is still in temporary housing a decade on and has never attempted to restart his showbiz career which was limited to two films and a single period of prolonged employment which came in 2001 when he worked as a production runner on TV series Black Scorpion – a budget superhero series set in LA.
Jess’s modest motel accommodation is in stark contrast to the luxury homes enjoyed by his famous family and the lavish residences he enjoyed as a child.
While dad James and stepmom Barbra have a palatial Malibu estate, brother Josh currently lives in a $7.1million six-bedroom farmhouse in Montecito – famously also the home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, as well as Oprah and Katy Perry.
Barbra Streisand has said in the past that the family has offered help and support to Jess
The younger Brolin, seen left with his dad in his youth, is rarely seen with his famous relatives now but was featured on his brother Josh’s Instagram years ago
Along with the Montecito house, which has its own equestrian arena, Josh also owns a $3.2million five-bedroom home in Atlanta, Georgia, which he is currently renting out for $35,000-a-month.
As children, Josh and Jess were raised in the lap of luxury on a ranch in Paso Robles and then a mansion in Santa Barbara.
But despite their lavish surroundings, Josh has previously described himself as a ‘neglected rich kid’ whose wild teen years were spent stealing cars to fund a drug habit, in a 2014 interview.
Jess is living at the eight-room Topa Vista Inn in Ojai and is likely to be there for months
Jess’s stepmother Barbra Streisand and dad James Brolin live comfortably and lavishly at the actress’s $20million 19-bedroom clifftop mansion in Malibu
Older brother Josh recently purchased a $7.1million six-bedroom farmhouse in Montecito where he lives with his wife and children
He went on: ‘It was Santa Barbara. It was the 80s. It was punk rock. You either had the children of rich, neglectful parents or children of poor, so it was a mix.
‘But we basically grew up the same way. I’ve never seen a group like that before or since.’
He added: ‘I mean, I never got into it [drug use] and I never died from it, which is a good thing.
‘I’ve had 19 friends who died. Most of those guys I grew up with, they’re all dead now. The group of guys that I grew up with, 37 of them are dead.’
In an interview with GQ this year, he doubled down, telling the magazine: ‘Twelve are in jail. Four are in jail and also dead. I keep careful count, all 37 dead guys. I’m from a tough environment, ya know?’
