Rosie O’Donnell’s Onetime Miami Beach Mansion Sells for $36 Million
A sprawling property on Miami Beach‘s celeb-studded Star Island that was previously owned by Rosie O’Donnell has officially sold to Rockstar Energy founder Russell Weiner for $36 million.
That’s a lot less than the family of now-deceased owners David and Linda Frankel originally wanted, but it’s still $19.5 million more than the $16.5 million the couple—he a doctor and real estate investor, and she a former Vogue fashion editor and the sister of broadcast journalist Diana Sawyer—paid O’Donnell for the Mediterranean-style mansion 12 years ago. It’s also a whopping $29 million more than the comedian and talk show host bought the place for back in 1999.
A spacious living area opens to a veranda via wood-trimmed French doors.
Mike Ruiz/Legendary Productions
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The Frankels gave the 1920s residence an extensive makeover during their tenure, and, after hitting the market in late 2024 with a hefty $54 million ask and then undergoing a price drop to $48 million, the house sold at a substantial discount to Weiner, who plans to expand and renovate the estate to around 15,000 square feet and add luxury amenities like a spa, gym, cabana, and padel court. Both sides of the deal were repped by Liz Hogan of Compass.
Tucked away behind a gated motor court on over an acre, the residence features a main home and two separate guesthouses, for a total of eight bedrooms and 11 baths in roughly 11,000 square feet. There’s also a freeform pool with a slide and an air-conditioned four-car garage, plus a boathouse and a private dock sporting a 40,000-pound boat lift along more than 200 feet of Biscayne Bay frontage.
Inside the primary dwelling, a large living area sports wood-trimmed French doors opening out to a covered veranda. A formal dining room flows to an updated kitchen outfitted with an eat-in island, high-end Miele, Viking, and Sub-Zero appliances, and a breakfast nook. A luxe primary suite flaunts a balcony and an office, while the upper level holds an additional kitchen and a family room.
A private dock with a 40,000-pound boat lift rests beside the palm tree-laced grounds.
Mike Ruiz/Legendary Productions
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O’Donnell, who recently relocated to Ireland with her child Clay because of American politics, finally offloaded her New York City penthouse in Midtown Manhattan’s Turtle Bay neighborhood in April for around $7 million after two years on the market. As for Weiner, who sold Rockstar Energy to PepsiCo in 2020 for $3.9 billion, his holdings include a home in L.A.’s illustrious Beverly Park enclave that he’s owned since 2007 and an investment property in the Hollywood Hills.
True to its name, Star Island has had many high-profile people take up residence behind its guarded gate through the years. Current owners within the exclusive enclave are hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin, who has quietly spent some $169 million on seven contiguous parcels spanning over six acres since 2023, as well as musicians Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Rick Ross, and Sean “Diddy” Combs. Earlier this year, Russian-born developer Vlad Doronin sold his estate that once belonged to retired NBA star Shaquille O’Neal for a record-breaking $120 million.
Click here for more photos of the Star Island residence.
Mike Ruiz/Legendary Productions
Authors
Wendy Bowman
Wendy Bowman is a real estate writer at Robb Report. Before that, she was a freelancer for Modern Luxury and several other media outlets, where she primarily covered luxury properties for…
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