Everyone dreams of getting rich, famous, and buying and absurdly-huge and ridiculously expensive mansion, right? Well, even if you don’t, getting to see our favorite celebrities’ houses on MTV Cribs was almost as cool. Whether they were super tacky (they often were), unbelievably beautiful, or just straight-up massive — every episode of Cribs promised a never-before-seen look into the home lives of our fave pop culture icons. So, get ready to “see where the magic happens,” because here are 18 of the coolest celebrity houses as seen on Cribs:
1. Richard Branson’s Billionaire Pad
We had to start with what is by far the most insane celebrity house on MTV Cribs. Of course, it belongs to Sir Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin. His house is the most expensive property ever to be featured on the show, and it’s pretty obvious as to why. Located in the British Virgin Islands, his sprawling estate looks over white sand and bright blue waters.
The house is super open and integrates elements of nature. It’s a whopping twelve bedrooms, each more impressive than the next. Basically, the entire property looks a super-classy Sandals resort. Oh, and did we mention Mariah Carey makes an appearance?
2. Mariah Carey’s NYC Apartment
Speaking of MiMi, not only was Mariah Carey’s segment of MTV Cribs amazing because of her apartment — her entire tour is filled with mysterious and over-the-top diva-ness. At one point, Mariah gets on her stair-stepper in stilettos, has about 3 outfit changes and takes a bath, natch.
Even so, her biggest Mariah moment is while she’s hinting at a few of the most opulent rooms and possessions she owns, but refuses to show them to the audience… Her New York penthouse apartment has three levels and is located in Tribeca with an incredible view… $$$. What more would you expect from pop’s biggest diva?
3. Destiny Child’s Houston Mansion
The best part of this episode of MTV Cribs is that it features three of everyone’s favorite celebrities: Destiny’s Child, of course. Their Houston mansion is exactly what you would expect from the home of the most successful pop trio of our generation. The whole segment is incredible, we get to see Beyoncé’s mom and her now-famous sister, Solange when she was just a teen.
The entire thing screams early-2000s, we’re talking closets full of low-rise jeans, black leather furniture, and dark red walls.
4. Aaron Carter’s 13 Bedroom Monstrosity
This entire episode of Cribs makes you feel like you’re living in an alternate dimension, where Aaron Carter is one of the most successful people in the world. His absurdly-huge mansion in the Florida Keys features 13 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms — all located on 17 acres of property. The entire time Aaron walks us through his all-white, over-the-top estate, he’s sporting a giant airbrush Tupac tee shirt. It’s all pretty surreal.
Not to bash Aaron’s taste, but we’re pretty sure his mom decorated the whole house because it kind of looks exactly looks like your grandmother’s condo in Ft. Lauderdale. Even so, being a child celebrity must be freaking nuts because he was only 16 while showing off this crib.
5. The Kardashians’ Iconic Home
Omg. This episode is absolutely wild to watch today, because Kim Kardashian was just becoming a name in Hollywood and definitely wasn’t THEE it-girl of Tinseltown.
She gives us a tour of what we now know is Kris Jenner’s Calabasas ranch. You know, the one where they filmed the first few seasons of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. We get to see the living room where many-a-family-argument was held, we see Kim’s closet featuring dozens of velour sweatsuits, plus the infamous stripper pole that Kylie Jenner got busted for dancin’ on that one time.
6. Lil Wayne’s New Orleans Digs
His name may be lil’, but his New Orleans mansion is anything but. Ha, see what we did there? Anyway, SORRY, Lil Wayne’s episode of Cribs is pretty wild from start to finish. While his cars and shoes are as over-the-top and extra as you would assume most rappers’ are, his house is super understated and classy. Like, to the point where we would believe that Martha Stewart decorated the whole thing (maybe minus the Godfather and Goodfellas poster, of course). He even shows off his daughter’s room and it’s super heartwarming, featuring a giant dollhouse and Dora the Explorer Bedding.
7. Naomi Campbell’s Beach Oasis
When you think of a luxurious, tropical mansion, you’re probably picturing Naomi Campbell’s Jamaican home. Her episode of Cribs feels like it could be one of those tourism ads for an exotic island. It’s not absurd or over-the-top, in fact the whole thing’s very tasteful. It looks like a vacation home where you and your family would feel extremely comfortable and simultaneously pampered. Her entire property is right on the water, and — as she’s sure to mention — they even filmed part of a James Bond movie there.
8. 50 Cent’s Super-Extravagant Home
50 Cent’s ep kind of went down in infamy, mostly because he actually lied about owning a few of the cars he shows off. Lol. But anyway, he wasn’t lying about the house itself and it’s pretty lavish. We’re talking spiral staircase, sprawling dining room table, giant chandeliers and a grand piano. And of course, 50 shows off his trophy room full of dark cabinetry and dramatic lighting. The most impressive part is his bathroom, which features a giant steam shower and a massive tub.
9. Hulk Hogan’s Classy Estate
Remember when everyone cared, like, a lot about the Hogan family? There was that brief period where their reality show Hogan Knows Best and Brooke’s brief singing career put them in the spotlight (Remember “About Us”?! Too good).
Either way, before all of that took off, they were showing off their crazy mansion on Cribs. Decorated by his wife, Linda, the whole house was designed to look very “French.” How accurate that is, we’re not sure, but we do remember being teenage girls wishing we had Brooke’s room. We’re talking lavender walls and a matching grand piano in the middle. Ten bucks she didn’t know how to play, but whatever.
10. The Osbourne’s Spooky Mansion
As the first episode ever of Cribs, there was no doubt that the Osbourne family had to set the bar high. And boy, did they. The episode was filmed before the family’s famous reality show, and their house is super cool.
Although the pad was pretty much exactly how you would imagine Ozzy Osbourne’s house to look — filled with hundreds of candles and dark furniture &mdashl; it was surprisingly tame. We got to see Ozzy’s workout studio, Kelly’s stuffed animal collection, and their beautiful in-ground pool. We have a feeling Sharon had the upper hand when it came to home decor.
11. Joey McIntyre’s New House on the Block
Ha. Get it? Because New Kids on the…anyway. Joey McIntyre (of New Kids on the Block fame) had a surprisingly interesting episode of the show. Also important to note he was the first ever Cribs participant to ever say the totally-overused phrase: “this is where the magic happens.” More importantly, his house is straight-up beautiful. It was built in 1800 (and was a part of the underground railroad!), plus he bought it when he was just 17 years old. It’s filled with high ceilings, a vintage grand piano and stained glass windows. It’s the kind of house you hope to buy when you’re a successful adult, not just a young celeb.
12. Melissa Joan Hart’s Throwback Pad
This episode was mostly cool if you were a young fan of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Getting a peek inside Melissa Jona Hart’s (aka Sabrina’s) house was awesome, and a little bizarre. Little-known, super-specific fact: Melissa Joan Hart lovesShirley Temple. She has kind of an absurd amount of Shirley-related paraphernalia. For a celebrity, her house was fairly modest (granted, she was under 20), and it’s super livable and grown-up, despite the kind-of creepy doll collection dedicated to — you guessed it, Shirley Temple. After doing some light research, we found that the entire Hart family is actually super into Shirley and we’re not sure if that’s very cool or very weird.
13. Fat Joe’s Shoe-Filled Closet
Nothing says “throwback” like an episode of this MTV show featuring Fat Joe. Located in Paramus, New Jersey, the house is super peaceful and filled with lots of cool art and furniture. The kitchen is super classic, designed by Fat Joe himself (and of course, equipped with a professional chef). The most memorable part of his segment, however, is the tour of his closet — especially the part when he licks the bottom of his shoe. That’s right, because according to Joe you “never wear the same pair twice.” Shoe-licking aside, his house is fairly low-key in its decoration and looks a lot like a super-nice hotel.
14. Tommy Lee’s Party House
This was one of the cringier episodes of Cribs, naturally. While Tommy Lee is definitely not known for his understated demeanor, he basically acts like every frat dude you’ve ever met throughout this episode. He refers to his home as “Tommyland,” and it’s kind of really tacky, but still super impressive. His place has a recording studio, Japanese garden, elevator (decorated with paintings of cherubs), a movie theater, and a ton of super-extravagant furnishings.
While someone’s home is totally up to their personal taste, after seeing his entire house you’re kind of like, “we get it, you’re a rockstar.” That’s not to say we wouldn’t 100% party there given the opportunity, of course.
15. Tony Hawk’s Skate Paradise
For teenage boys especially, Tony Hawk’s episode was unforgettable. Located in Southern California and just under 4,000 square feet — this skaterboy’s home was fitted with (of course) a skate park. It was super cool. He mentions that he (and his then-fiancée) like to travel a lot, so they wanted the house to look like a hotel. While the house is super modern, clean and sophisticated — it’s totally family-friendly, which made Hawk’s whole segment feel oddly wholesome.
16. The Playboy Mansion
Ah, yes. It’s pretty much impossible to talk about wild celebrity houses without discussing the infamous Playboy Mansion. Controversies aside, it’s undeniable that this house was the definition of extravagant, over-the-top and totally indulgent. To start, the house is 20,000 square feet. Yes, you read that right. The property includes an arcade, tennis courts, a tanning salon, a zoo, a pool (including an ~underground~ grotto) and a full-equipped gym. The entire mansion is filled with dark molding, high ceilings and chandeliers — but the whole thing also feels a little bit dated and is just super full of stuff.
17. Missy Elliott’s Sophisticated Home
We can all agree that Missy Elliott was probably the coolest pop culture icon of the early 2000s, right? Either way, her episode of MTV Cribs was just another reason to love her. Almost everything is marble, and it’s the outside of her house that sets her apart from all the other phenomenal homes showcased on the show. It’s (of course) massive, white, and has a circular driveway that’s home to a giant fountain and tons of expensive cars. The coolest part? She has her own “little ballroom” to entertain guests. It’s a giant, all-white room filled with circular tables, beautiful settings, and a grand piano. Basically, we’ll be keeping an eye on the mail for our invite, Missy.
18. Ludacris’s Mind-blowing Property
Ludaciris’s house was so cool to see, mostly because it was so not what you would expect. For a rapper who was definitely ~out there~ for his time, his house is a pretty standard McMansion that looks like it’s in a development. The house is impressive, but it pretty much looks like it fell from the sky into the middle of a dessert. Aside from that, the inside is very tasteful and homey. The living room especially, with super high ceilings and stone walls, is pretty amazing in itself. We almost forgot, the hallway leading to his bedroom is covered with a 3D mural of a swamp… yes. Apparently, that’s why guests call his house “the swamp.” Not sure if that’s a good thing.