Why Jonathan Scott Says 'I Lost My Mind’ After Receiving First Water Bill for L.A. Home with Zooey Deschanel

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo:Jonathan Scott/Instagram

Jonathan Scott/Instagram

Jonathan Scottand fiancéeZooey Deschanelwere in for a surprise when they received their first water bill for theirLos Angeles home.TheCelebrity IOUhost, 46, recalled the shocking piece of mail while speaking about affordable housing at the Inc. 5000 45th Annual Conference & Gala on Thursday, Oct. 17. He says a slight hiccup inhis and Deschanel’s years-long home renovationis to blame for the hefty bill.“I don’t know if anyone’s ever had a burst water pipe,” he said. “When Zooey and I bought our home in L.A. and we were renovating, my very first water bill was $5,500. I just about lost my mind. I was like, what’s happening?”He continued, “Well, it was a leak. They were underground leaks. We had no idea — it was an old house.”Zooey Deschanel/InstagramThe couple purchased their historic 1938 house in June 2020 and went through an extensive renovation process to transform it into their “dream home” for themselves and Deschanel’s kids. TheNew Girlalum, 44, shares daughter Elsie Otter, 9, and son Charlie Wolf, 7, with ex-husband Jacob Pechenik.Scott and Deschanelunveiled the completed remodelin June 2022 after nearly two years of work andthey often show off the colorful design detailsand whimsical touches in the space on social media.Jonathan Scott/tiktokDuring an exclusive interview with PEOPLE in March 2023, Scott explained how he focused on construction during the process while Deschanelcalled the design shots.“She has incredible taste, so she picked a lot of the finishes and the wallpapers and things like that,” he said at the time. “I’ve never in my life trusted somebody else to make any design decisions in my house. So when we were doing it for our house, it was nerve-wracking, but she’s incredible.“Zooey Deschanel/InstagramAlong with designing their home together, Scott and Deschanel enjoy hosting events and parties there for their loved ones to enjoy.In December 2023, theytransformed their home into a winter wonderlandequipped with a snow machine, and now they’re planning something equally as over-the-top for Halloween this year, Scott said during the Inc. 5000 45th Annual Conference & Gala.“We have people coming over and, I’m not joking,I built a full haunted house. Our daughter this year was like, she wants a real scary Halloween haunted house,” he said, referring to Elsie.“And so I was like, ‘Oh, my love language.’ And so I’ve built a real haunted house with all these animatronics. We have the bouncy and the dance floor with a DJ, and it’s pretty well done.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.He added, “Zooey and I discovered if we weren’t doing film or television, we would totally be event planners because we love throwing parties.”The Late Late Show/YouTubeThe duo first met whilefilming an episode ofCarpool Karaokewith Scott’s twin brother Drew and Deschanel’s sisterEmilyin 2019 and sparks flew.Theygot engaged during a family trip to Scotlandin August 2023, PEOPLE exclusively revealed, afterfour years of datingand arecurrently planning their wedding, though they’ve kept a lid on the details so far.

Jonathan Scottand fiancéeZooey Deschanelwere in for a surprise when they received their first water bill for theirLos Angeles home.

TheCelebrity IOUhost, 46, recalled the shocking piece of mail while speaking about affordable housing at the Inc. 5000 45th Annual Conference & Gala on Thursday, Oct. 17. He says a slight hiccup inhis and Deschanel’s years-long home renovationis to blame for the hefty bill.

“I don’t know if anyone’s ever had a burst water pipe,” he said. “When Zooey and I bought our home in L.A. and we were renovating, my very first water bill was $5,500. I just about lost my mind. I was like, what’s happening?”

He continued, “Well, it was a leak. They were underground leaks. We had no idea — it was an old house.”

Zooey Deschanel/Instagram

The couple purchased their historic 1938 house in June 2020 and went through an extensive renovation process to transform it into their “dream home” for themselves and Deschanel’s kids. TheNew Girlalum, 44, shares daughter Elsie Otter, 9, and son Charlie Wolf, 7, with ex-husband Jacob Pechenik.

Scott and Deschanelunveiled the completed remodelin June 2022 after nearly two years of work andthey often show off the colorful design detailsand whimsical touches in the space on social media.

Jonathan Scott/tiktok

During an exclusive interview with PEOPLE in March 2023, Scott explained how he focused on construction during the process while Deschanelcalled the design shots.

“She has incredible taste, so she picked a lot of the finishes and the wallpapers and things like that,” he said at the time. “I’ve never in my life trusted somebody else to make any design decisions in my house. So when we were doing it for our house, it was nerve-wracking, but she’s incredible.”

Along with designing their home together, Scott and Deschanel enjoy hosting events and parties there for their loved ones to enjoy.

In December 2023, theytransformed their home into a winter wonderlandequipped with a snow machine, and now they’re planning something equally as over-the-top for Halloween this year, Scott said during the Inc. 5000 45th Annual Conference & Gala.

“We have people coming over and, I’m not joking,I built a full haunted house. Our daughter this year was like, she wants a real scary Halloween haunted house,” he said, referring to Elsie.

“And so I was like, ‘Oh, my love language.’ And so I’ve built a real haunted house with all these animatronics. We have the bouncy and the dance floor with a DJ, and it’s pretty well done.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

He added, “Zooey and I discovered if we weren’t doing film or television, we would totally be event planners because we love throwing parties.”

The Late Late Show/YouTube

The duo first met whilefilming an episode ofCarpool Karaokewith Scott’s twin brother Drew and Deschanel’s sisterEmilyin 2019 and sparks flew.

Theygot engaged during a family trip to Scotlandin August 2023, PEOPLE exclusively revealed, afterfour years of datingand arecurrently planning their wedding, though they’ve kept a lid on the details so far.

source: people.com