Reality

‘Selling Sunset’ Star Apologizes After Uproar From Residents of Town She Claimed to ‘Own’

Alanna Gold is facing backlash from Pioneertown residents after claims she made in Season 8 of Selling Sunset.
selling-sunset-8.png

Alanna Gold is apologizing to the residents of Pioneertown after claiming she owns the town in San Bernardino County, Calif., during the latest season of Selling Sunset. Alanna, who made her debut on the Netflix hit during its newly-released eighth season, revealed during the show that she and husband Adam Gold had purchased land in Pioneertown, but her claim of owning the town was met with backlash from its other residents.ย 

In a message from the residents of Pioneertown shared to Instagram after the Sept. 6 season premiere, Alanna’s “baseless” claims were called out as undermining “78 years of internationally celebrated film, arts and cultural history.” The statement continued, “These claims belittle generations of artists, neighbors, nature lovers, community members, musicians, small business owners and otherwise magnificent people of Pioneertown.”

Videos by PopCulture.com

selling-sunset-8.png

Alanna was also revealed to have misrepresented how much of the town she can lay claim to, as the statement said more than 400 people live in Pioneertown, which “is privately owned by more than 100 independent parties.” The reality personality “has a small minority non-controlling interest in an entity that owns six of thirty five parcels in the Mane Street area, constituting less than 1% of Pioneertown’s total 640 acres,” the statement continued, concluding, “The claim that she owns the ‘entire town’ is verifiably false.”

On Sept. 9, Alanna issued a statement of apology via PEOPLE, beginning, “I want to reach out to personally say I am so deeply sorry for the confusion I have caused.” She continued, “I certainly do not own Pioneertown, I never should have said that and I apologize for doing so. I want you to know that I did not mean any harm, I absolutely love Pioneertown and I simply got too excited talking about it.”

alanna-gold.png

Having had her first date with her husband and their wedding in the community, Alanna promised that she’s working to “correct the record” after her statements. “We wanted to become part of the community, so we invested in a home and other properties there,” she added. “Again, I am so sorry to the people of Pioneertown, I would never want to disrespect the town’s history or any of the people who make it such a wonderful place.”ย 

Selling Sunset Season 8 is streaming now on Netflix.