Nicolas Cage is walking back his recent claim that he was left homeless after a sinkhole almost swallowed his Malibu home, and he says he was only joking. Cage first made the remark at LA Comic Con on October 31, 2026, when he joked about being homeless. After the comment drew backlash, he clarified at the Madden premiere in Culver City on Wednesday, November 4 that he was just riffing, that he was content and fine, and that he meant his house was not available for trick or treaters. The real story is serious, because his beachfront home was badly damaged by coastal erosion, but Cage now says he never meant to claim he had lost his home.
Quick Facts
| Detail | What we know |
|---|---|
| Who | Nicolas Cage, age 62 |
| Home | Beachfront home in Malibu, valued at 10.5 million dollars |
| First joke | LA Comic Con, October 31, 2026, when he joked about being homeless |
| Clarification | Associated Press, November 4, 2026, at the Madden premiere in Culver City |
| What he said | He was just riffing, he was content and fine, and his house was not available for trick or treaters |
| Damage date | September 8, 2026, large swells damaged the driveway |
| Cause | Coastal erosion from high tides and high surf |
| Other homes affected | Five beachfront homes in the area including his were red tagged |
| Other problems | An evacuation order was put in effect, and there was a gas leak at the back of his property |
| Repair effort | He filed three permits within days and got an emergency permit to pack sandbags |
| Later erosion | Severe erosion hit Broad Beach on October 15, 2026 |
| Wife | Riko Shibata attended the Madden premiere with him on November 4 |
What Cage Said at LA Comic Con and at the Madden Premiere
Cage first raised the story at LA Comic Con on October 31, 2026, when he joked about being homeless. The setting was a fan event on Halloween, and the tone was light, but the words traveled fast. A claim that a famous actor had been left homeless by a sinkhole is the kind of line that gets picked up quickly, and many people took it at face value. The joke landed in a different way online than it had in the room, and the reaction was swift.
After the backlash, Cage used his next public appearance to set the record straight. He spoke to the Associated Press on Wednesday, November 4 at the Madden premiere in Culver City, and he made it clear that he had been riffing. He said he was content and fine, which is a direct answer to the idea that he had lost his home or had nowhere to live. He also explained the joke in plain terms. He meant his house was not available for trick or treaters, a Halloween joke about a home that was damaged and closed off, not a claim that he was living on the street.
His wife Riko Shibata attended the Madden premiere with him on November 4, and her presence added a calm note to the evening. Cage was there to support Madden, a major film event, and the clarification came as part of the press around that premiere. It was not a long statement, but it was clear enough to change the story. He was not homeless, he was not asking for sympathy, and the original remark had been a joke that went too far in how it was read.
What Really Happened to the Malibu Home
The real damage to the home is serious, even if Cage is not homeless. On September 8, 2026, large swells damaged the driveway of his beachfront Malibu home due to coastal erosion from high tides and high surf. The sea had worn away the land around the house, and the driveway took a direct hit. The home is valued at 10.5 million dollars, and it sits in a spot where the beach and the house meet in a fragile way.
Five beachfront homes in the area including his were red tagged, which means officials marked them as unsafe to enter or live in for now. An evacuation order was put in effect for the area, and there was a gas leak at the back of his property. A gas leak adds danger to an already unstable site, and it shows why officials moved quickly to close the area off. The red tags and the evacuation order were not small steps. They were a sign that the ground and the structures were at real risk.
Cage acted fast to try to save the home. He filed three permits within days to try to save the home, and he got an emergency permit to pack sandbags against the beach and the exterior. Sandbags are a short term defense against waves and erosion, and they are often used when a home is in immediate danger from the sea. The permits show that he was working through the official process, not just watching the damage happen.
Why the Joke Caused Backlash
The backlash came from the gap between the joke and the real lives of people who are homeless. When a wealthy actor with a 10.5 million dollar home jokes about being homeless, many readers hear it as tone deaf, even if the actor meant it lightly. Homelessness is a serious and painful issue for many families, and a joke from a star can feel like it makes light of that pain. That reaction is why the comment drew criticism so fast after LA Comic Con.
The timing made it worse. The joke came on Halloween, when Cage said his house was not available for trick or treaters. In the room, that may have sounded like a simple Halloween line. Online, without the laugh and the crowd, it read as a claim that he had lost his home. Some readers felt sympathy at first, then felt misled when the full story came out. Others felt the joke was in poor taste from the start, because it used a serious word for a light laugh.
Cage is 62, and he has been in the public eye for decades. He knows how the press works, and he knows that a single line can become a headline. His clarification at the Madden premiere was an effort to fix the record and to show that he understood why people reacted the way they did. By saying he was content and fine, he removed the idea that he was in crisis, and by explaining the trick or treaters line, he gave the joke its real context back.
Readers who want the full picture of the film event where Cage clarified his remarks can read our report on the Madden world premiere with Nicolas Cage and Christian Bale on November 4, which covers the premiere, the cast, and the night in Culver City.
Malibu Erosion and the Broad Beach Problem
Malibu has long faced coastal erosion, and Broad Beach is one of the spots where the problem is most visible. The beach sits close to homes, and high tides and high surf can eat away at the sand that protects those homes. When a big swell hits, the water can reach driveways, walls, and foundations that were safe in calmer years. The damage on September 8 was part of that pattern, not a one off freak event.
The red tagging of five homes shows that the risk was shared across the area. It was not just Cage who faced trouble. Neighbors on the same stretch of beach were also marked unsafe, and the evacuation order covered more than one property. That shared risk matters, because it shows the scale of the erosion problem. When several homes are hit at once, the cause is the coast itself, not a single weak wall or a single bad repair.
What Comes Next for Cage and the Home
Cage has now made his position clear. He is not homeless, he is content and fine, and he is working to save his home through the official permit process. The sandbags and the permits are short term steps, and the next steps will likely take more time. Repairs to a beachfront home that has been red tagged need inspections, approvals, and careful work to make the site safe again.
The Madden premiere gave Cage a public stage to move past the joke and back to his work. He attended with his wife Riko Shibata, and the focus of the night was the film, not the Malibu home. That return to work is likely how he wants the story to end, with the clarification on the record and the film work in front. Fans who follow his career will be watching Madden and his next projects, not the Halloween joke.
For readers who want more on the films around this week, our report on KJ Apa as Jimmy Stewart in Jimmy, out November 6 covers another major release from the same period. Our look at the Karoshi trailer from November 5, with Chad Stahelski and Teo Yoo covers a new action trailer that has drawn strong attention this week.
Is Nicolas Cage homeless after the Malibu sinkhole?
No, Cage said on November 4, 2026 that he was just riffing when he joked about being homeless at LA Comic Con on October 31. He told the Associated Press that he was content and fine, and that he meant his house was not available for trick or treaters.
What happened to Nicolas Cage Malibu home?
On September 8, 2026, large swells damaged the driveway of his beachfront Malibu home due to coastal erosion from high tides and high surf. Five beachfront homes in the area including his were red tagged, an evacuation order was put in effect, and there was a gas leak at the back of his property.
What did Cage do to try to save the home?
He filed three permits within days to try to save the home and got an emergency permit to pack sandbags against the beach and the exterior. Severe erosion hit Broad Beach again on October 15, 2026, which shows the coastal risk is ongoing.
Where did Cage clarify his homeless remark?
He clarified it to the Associated Press on Wednesday, November 4 at the Madden premiere in Culver City. His wife Riko Shibata attended the premiere with him, and Cage is 62.
Sources
- Page Six – Nicolas Cage backtracks claim sinkhole made him homeless after backlash
- Associated Press
- Los Angeles Times
Final Thoughts
Nicolas Cage has now cleared up the story in plain terms. He was not left homeless, he was joking at LA Comic Con, and he is content and fine. The joke about trick or treaters was taken the wrong way, and his clarification at the Madden premiere on November 4 put the record straight. The real damage to his Malibu home is serious, and he is working to save it with permits and sandbags. That is a repair story, not a homelessness story.
