The Jim Henson Company has denied rumors that it is selling its historic Hollywood studio lot to the Church of Scientology.
Deadline reported the company – which owns the rights to the Muppets characters – has pushed back at reports that circulated in several media outlets that the 80,000-square-foot property – which first opened in 1917 as the Charlie Chaplin Studios – was the latest property acquisition by the controversial religious organization, which has a sizable real estate portfolio in the Los Angeles area.
A spokesperson for the Henson family stated, “In regards to recent rumors about the sale of the La Brea studio lot, the Henson family is not in any business dealings with the Church of Scientology, and that organization is not in consideration as a potential buyer of the property. It is still the family’s intention to move The Jim Henson Company to a new location it can share with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, but at this time the family is not in escrow with any buyer.”
The Church of Scientology did not comment on the story.
According to the Disney-focused blog WDW Today, the Jim Henson Company purchased the property in 1999 and has used it as a headquarters location since 2000. It was named a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1969.
Photo: Gary Minnaert / Wikimedia Commons
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