Dan Aykroyd has described living conditions in California as medieval compared to his peaceful rural existence in Eastern Ontario, Canada.
The 74-year-old actor, who is worth an estimated $200 million, spoke about the contrast between his countryside estate and Los Angeles during an appearance on the Adam Carolla Show in 2023.
Aykroyd highlighted widespread homeless encampments across Southern California while reflecting on safety concerns in the region.
"We're living in frankly medieval times," Aykroyd said. "You go, I drive very carefully in the car. I don't drive prison hours at night, have a gated place to live.. lock up at night."
The Ghostbusters star praised Santa Monica for its "harmony, peace, joy by the sea," but pointed out the visible presence of homelessness in the coastal city.
"It's beautiful there, beautiful houses and beautiful shops and lovely wide boulevards and 60,000 homeless," Aykroyd said. "So the underside and the overside will always, always be there."
Aykroyd, who shares three daughters with Donna Dixon, said he feels compelled to protect his family while living in California.
"Whereas really I would like to take my family and let them run in the park at 1 in the morning," he said. "But, no. We have to be so guarded now."
Homelessness and Malibu Real Estate
During the podcast appearance, host Adam Carolla discussed the extreme wealth gap in California, bringing up high-profile celebrity home purchases near encampments.
"Well, what we're living in, especially in California, is you have Jay-Z and Beyoncé buy a $200 million house in Malibu, but in order to get there, you have to drive through a homeless encampment," Carolla said.
Aykroyd responded that "they got a deal, by the way" and suggested the property was worth $700 million, while Carolla remarked on the contrast between ultra-rich residents and people expiring on the streets in squalor.
"Well, thankfully, knowing people like that, they're going to drive through their driveway, see that, and immediately start to act to try to alleviate and help in some way, because that's the kind of people they are," Aykroyd replied.
Reflections on Canadian Country Life
Aykroyd contrasted his experience in California with his life on his farm in Eastern Ontario, recalling a conversation with a visiting friend from Israel.
"Here I am driving through the bucolic countryside.. and we're in Canada," Aykroyd said. "We're driving to the drugstore to get an ice cream, and he tells me, 'What it is like to live in a country without war?'"
The actor explained that the interaction caused him to reflect on his peaceful surroundings, saying, "I thought to myself, 'Boy, do I take things for granted, you know, around this place.'"
Representatives for Aykroyd have been contacted for comment.
Marriage and Personal Relationships
Aykroyd separated from his wife, actress Donna Dixon, in 2022 after nearly 40 years of marriage, though the couple remain legally married and maintain a loving friendship.
The couple first met on the set of the comedy film Doctor Detroit, which starred Aykroyd with Dixon in a supporting role. The movie was filmed in 1982, and the pair married in 1983, the year of its release.
Prior to his relationship with Dixon, Aykroyd was briefly engaged to the late Carrie Fisher after proposing to her while filming The Blues Brothers. Fisher later called off the engagement after reuniting with her former partner Paul Simon.
In a 2014 interview with the Tampa Bay Times, Aykroyd described his initial connection with Dixon.
"You gotta find the right person: look them in the eye, have them look back, and know their soul," Aykroyd said. "She's a Southern woman who is understanding and doesn't mind dealing with the boys from time to time. I call her the White Goddess. And I'm the Green Demon."
Hollywood Career and Business Ventures
Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Aykroyd first rose to fame as an original cast member on the late-night sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live in the 1970s.
He went on to achieve major film success during the 1980s, co-starring with Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson in the blockbuster supernatural comedy franchise Ghostbusters.
Aykroyd has continued working steadily in film and television in recent decades while also expanding into entrepreneurship. In 2007, he co-founded Crystal Head Vodka, a high-end liquor brand known for its signature glass skull bottle design.
