Nicolas Cage told fans at Los Angeles Comic Con that he is currently “a little bit homeless” after severe coastal erosion and heavy rain triggered a massive sinkhole that swallowed the driveway of his $10.5 million Malibu beachfront home, forcing him into temporary hotel living.
Cage Lives in a Hotel After Sinkhole Damage
- Cage revealed his temporary housing status during a Halloween weekend panel at L.A. Comic Con, noting that hotel living has disrupted his usual holiday routines.
- The actor’s Malibu property sustained catastrophic damage in September when a 25-to-30-foot-deep sinkhole collapsed his driveway and prompted city officials to red-tag 31 neighborhood properties.
- Despite the structural emergency, Cage swiftly filed emergency building permits to stack sandbags against coastal waves and clear asphalt debris ahead of soil excavation.
Malibu Sinkhole Damage Forces Hotel Living
The coastal property that Nicolas Cage purchased for $10.5 million in 2024 became uninhabitable after heavy rain and severe wave action triggered a massive geological collapse. Photos taken on September 8 revealed a deep crater where the home’s driveway used to be, with asphalt and concrete appearing to have cracked open alongside construction equipment and fragmented privacy fencing.
NBC News reported that the emergency proclamation issued by the City of Malibu detailed a sinkhole measuring 25 to 30 feet deep and 30 by 60 feet wide, which also sparked a temporary gas leak. While aerial imaging left the exact structural damage to the main house unclear, the immediate hazard prompted officials to restrict all neighborhood occupancy due to blocked emergency access.
Addressing the crowd at L.A. Comic Con over the weekend, Cage explained how the displacement altered his holiday plans. “Something happened to my house in Malibu so I’m just sort of living in hotels so I don’t have normal trick or treaters I would like to enjoy tonight,” he said. He added that he still planned to take his four-year-old daughter, August, trick-or-treating in Santa Monica before watching Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.
SEA LEVEL DRIVE SINKHOLE INCIDENT UPDATE – 9/9/2026 The City of Malibu continues to respond to a sinkhole on Sea Level Drive caused by coastal erosion from high waves and tides associated with Hurricane Marie. The incident was reported at approximately 5:45 AM Tuesday, Sept. 8.… pic.twitter.com/v0PKVxRcG1
Neighborhood Evacuations and Red-Tagged Properties
The geological failure extended far beyond a single residential driveway, creating a wider municipal emergency along the Southern California coast. Nine.com.au noted that seven houses on the street were marked unsafe for occupancy due to hazardous conditions, while an additional 24 properties were red-tagged because the collapsed beachfront driveway blocked safe vehicular access for fire, police, and medical personnel.
City officials explained that the neighborhood housing association faced a multi-week repair window dependent on ongoing weather and site conditions. Gas services in the immediate vicinity were temporarily shut off while authorities evaluated the stability of the coastal bluff.
Emergency Permits and Shoring Efforts to Save the Estate
Rather than abandoning the damaged property, Cage moved quickly to mitigate further destruction along the shoreline. Yahoo reported that Page Six revealed the actor filed three separate permits within days of the sinkhole’s formation.
| Permit Action | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Emergency Building Permit | Packing sandbags against the exterior and beach for wave and erosion protection |
| Debris Removal | Clearing cracked asphalt and concrete related to the sinkhole collapse |
| Excavation Approval | Preparing the site for shoring installation and soil sample collection |
The swift filing of these municipal permits allowed contractors to begin shoring installations and soil testing, though officials have not yet announced a definitive timeline for when residents will be cleared to return to their homes.
