Jess Brolin’s life has taken a painful flip that stands in sharp distinction to the success and stability surrounding the remainder of his well-known household.
Whereas his brother Josh Brolin enjoys a luxurious dwelling and a thriving Hollywood profession, Jess has spent years battling homelessness, monetary collapse, and declining well being.
Current photographs of him ready for a free trolley in Ojai present simply how far he has fallen.
His state of affairs has made many revisit the difficult household historical past that formed each brothers in very other ways.
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Josh Brolin’s Success Highlights Jess’s Harsh Each day Actuality
The variations between the Brolin brothers are hanging and have raised questions in regards to the nature of their relationship.
Whereas Josh Brolin lives comfortably in a $7.1 million Montecito dwelling, Jess was not too long ago photographed sitting slumped on a bench in Ojai, ready for a free trolley.
In footage obtained by the Each day Mail, the 53-year-old appeared with crimson blotches on his legs, weighing an estimated 350 lbs, and sporting the identical light denim shorts he has been seen in earlier than.
He checked his primary flip telephone as he stood to catch the arrival bus.
Jess is believed to nonetheless be residing on the modest Topa Vista Resort, a three-star property owned by LA nightclub mogul Steve Edelson.
Although easy by Hollywood requirements, it’s nonetheless a serious step up from the place he as soon as discovered himself.
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After the belief fund left to him by his late mom, Jane Agee, ran out, Jess slipped into homelessness and even lived out of a battered 1981 Toyota truck beginning in 2011.
When the car finally broke down three years later, Jess ended up sleeping on the streets and, at one level, was photographed digging by a dumpster for meals.
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Josh’s Life Of Consolation Exhibits A Stark Divide Between The Brothers

As Jess moved by one other troublesome weekend, Josh Brolin was photographed browsing in Santa Barbara, displaying off a big tattoo on his again that includes a lighthouse surrounded by topless mermaids.
Their totally different paths are much more noticeable when taking a look at their upbringing.
The brothers had been raised in consolation, first on a ranch in Paso Robles, then in a Santa Barbara mansion.
Nonetheless, whereas Josh constructed an illustrious appearing profession by roles in “Avengers,” “Males in Black,” and “No Nation for Outdated Males,” Jess appeared in solely two movies and later labored as a studio runner earlier than his monetary and private decline.
Now, Josh lives in Montecito along with his spouse Kathryn Boyd, his fame having afforded him a stage of stability his youthful brother by no means discovered.
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Josh Brolin’s Personal Turbulent Previous Exhibits The Brothers Shared Extra Than Folks Understand

Regardless of the variations of their grownup lives, Josh’s personal historical past exhibits how simply issues may have turned out in a different way for him as nicely.
In his memoir “From Underneath the Truck,” revealed in November 2024, the 57-year-old described an “unconventional childhood.”
He wrote about dependancy and sobriety struggles that led to him being jailed 9 instances, together with twice earlier than his breakout function in “The Goonies.”
Josh additionally revealed he misplaced his finest pal to suicide and as soon as endured a daunting 12-hour acid journey as a teen.
General, his early years had been chaotic. He rode a motorbike at 4, smoked weed at 9, misplaced his virginity at 11, and tried acid at 13.
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Performing finally turned his escape from harmful habits. Nonetheless, he ended up residing in a flophouse in Portland in 1990 and later in what he known as a “rented cell” in New York Metropolis.
His profession turnaround got here in 2007 with “No Nation for Outdated Males,” which led to his Academy Award nomination for “Milk” and the blockbuster roles that adopted.
The Loss Of Jane Agee Left Deep Wounds As Jess’s Life Continued To Spiral

A lot of the brothers’ ache traces again to the demise of their mom, Jane Agee.
She died in a automotive crash in 1995, a decade after divorcing their father, James Brolin.
Jess had inherited a belief fund from her, however when it ran out, he fell into homelessness.
Throughout these years on the road, Barbra Streisand, his stepmother, stated the household tried to assist, however he refused their assist.
Based on the Each day Mail, she stated in a press release, “We love him very a lot and need solely he finest for him.”
Josh additionally felt the influence of their mom’s demise. In his memoir, he wrote that he was nonetheless haunted by “the perpetual apparition of Jane,” including, “She refuses to not be a presence.”
Whether or not Jess could be at present if she had survived stays an unanswered and heartbreaking query.
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Josh Brolin Celebrates Eight Years Of Sobriety

Josh has fought many demons in his journey to stardom, and the actor has been open about his victories.
In 2021, he celebrated eight years of sobriety, a journey he publicly marked on Instagram with a heartfelt and deeply religious message.
As The Blast reported, the Hollywood icon wrote that sobriety taught him to like with out all the time enthusiastic about himself, and he expressed gratitude for having the ability to really feel pleasure by others.
He added, “God is in every little thing and that it’s made up of each coloration (and combination of coloration) that exists.”
Josh additionally thanked his spouse for supporting him by the hardest instances, recalling a 6 a.m. drive when she left him a card subsequent to a photograph collage of their youngsters.
For Josh, this “most punk rock sobriety possible” was about residing gratefully and authentically.



