Jason Oppenheim seems to scoff at this controversy Selling Sunset newcomer Alanna Gold claims she owned an old west town.
In a video he re-shared on his Instagram Stories on Tuesday, September 17, the Oppenheim Group co-founder wears an “I own Pioneertown” tank top while working out at the gym.
Alanna, who joined the Netflix documentary for its recent eighth season, claimed on the show that she and her husband, Adam Gold, bought Pioneertown, located in San Bernardino County, California.
Alanna faced backlash from the townspeople after the episodes premiered on September 6, and three days later issued an apology for the inaccurate claim.
Alanna Gold and Pioneertown.
Alanna Gold; Getty
Selling Sunset Star apologizes after backlash from residents of Old West town she claimed to ‘own’
“I want to reach out and say personally that I am deeply sorry for the confusion I have caused,” Selling Sunset agent began the apology, which was shared with PEOPLE on September 9.
“I certainly don’t own Pioneertown, I shouldn’t have said that and I apologize for doing that. I want you to know that I meant no harm, I absolutely love Pioneertown and I just got too excited talking about it,” she added.
Alanna also noted that her first date and wedding to Adam took place in Pioneertown and that she is working to “set the record straight.”
“We wanted to become part of the community, so we invested in a home and other properties there,” she wrote. “Again, I feel so sorry for the people of Pioneertown, I would never want to disparage the history of the town or any of the people who make it such a wonderful place.”
Her apology was prompted by a statement posted on Instagram by Pioneertown residents that said her claims “undermine 78 years of internationally celebrated film, art and culture history.”
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Pioneertown.
Getty
Selling Sunset Newcomer Alanna Gold Reveals Why She Owns Part Of A Fully Functional Old West Town (Exclusive)
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Residents noted that more than 400 residents live in Pioneertown, which is “privately owned by more than 100 independent parties.”
Alanna “has a small minority non-controlling interest in an entity that owns six of the thirty-five parcels in the Mane Street area, representing less than 1% of Pioneertown’s total of 640 acres,” the statement clarified, adding, “The claim that she owns ‘the entire town.’ is proven false.”
Before she debuted on Sale Sunset, Alanna opened up about her interest in Pioneertown in an interview with PEOPLE.
“We’ve always really loved it and actually went there on one of our first trips,” she said. “We always knew we wanted to own some property out there or be a part of the community in some way. We kind of always assumed it would be through owning a house out there, which we do now, a place we call Cosmic Ranch.”
“In 2020, when we learned that a large portion of Pioneertown was for sale, we saw an incredible opportunity to not only strengthen our ties to the community, but also to preserve a piece of history,” she added.
8th season Selling Sunset now streaming on Netflix.
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Source: HIS Education