Sway House is bringing chaos to Bel Air: neighbors

There’s one house on Stradella Road that’s not like the others.

In late January, a half dozen young social media stars moved into a 7,800-square-foot mansion on one of Bel Air’s most expensive roads. Neighbors told the New York Times their frat-like party antics are driving them crazy.

Neighbors describe large parties, the thump of music throughout the night, and trash piled up on the sidewalk. Some worry about the safety of throwing parties in the age of coronavirus.

“It’s like they’re testing limits for the very first time in their life,” said neighbor Renee Maltz, who also described an uptick in foot traffic in the neighborhood since their new neighbors moved in.

The group are part of a collective of YouTube and TikTok stars called Sway House and are all between 17 and 21 years old. Their management company, TalentX, rents the Stradella Road mansion in exchange for content from Sway House.

Property records show the home – at 1939 Stradella Road – is owned by the Stephen T. Sohmer Trust. Sohmer is a well-known Shakespearean scholar and writer who was once the president and CEO of Columbia Pictures.

CEO Warren Letz said that TalentX hired security guards and has been in contact with the L.A.P.D. and city council to “ensure the safety of the neighborhood.”

Some neighbors have confronted them about the partying and general chaos in the neighborhood, although it hasn’t always gone over well. Some worry about the repercussions of getting on the bad side of a group of people with a huge internet following.

Things appear to be calming down, though. Neighbors said the neighborhood is quieter in recent days following the departure of two Sway House members from the mansion. Their departure comes after their arrests on drug charges related to a recent cross-country trip. [NYT] — Dennis Lynch