I really, really dislike Donald Trump, mostly because of his dreadful show, but this story has softened my attitude. Not so much that I’ll watch his show, but I won’t scream at the television about the state of entertainment when I see it advertised, as if Donald Trump is somehow responsible for the reality television phenomenon. Trump is buying Ed McMahon’s house, which was slated for foreclosure, and lis etting him stay in it:

Mega-developer and TV personality Donald Trump has agreed to buy Ed McMahon’s Beverly Hills house for an undisclosed amount and allow McMahon to continue living in it. Details of the deal are still being ironed out.

“I don’t know the man, but I grew up watching him on TV,” Trump said in an exclusive interview with The Times.

McMahon, 85, was facing foreclosure within two weeks on his Beverly Hills home of 18 years. The aging television icon, who was Johnny Carson’s sidekick for three decades, defaulted on $4.8 million in mortgage loans with Countrywide Financial Corp. He said in interviews that he was unable to work because of a neck injury that occurred about 18 months ago.

Trump said he stepped in because helping McMahon “would be an honor.” His plan is to buy the home from the lender and lease it back to McMahon.

“When I was at the Wharton School of Business,” Trump said, “I’d watch him every night. How could this happen?”

L.A. Times

The Don is no fool. While the house was initially listed at $7million, but dropped to $4.6million, no matter what The Don pays he’ll get more than that value out of the good publicity given him. Donald previously offered to help Ed and his shopaholic wife Pamela out, but reports suggested the offer was for publicity and not genuine. While Donald is probably only doing it for publicity, help is help no matter the motive.

I also think it is an incredibly kind thing to do. As a lover of antique furniture I often go to sales where the home owner if forced to move for varying reasons, and they always seem so sad. At 85 it seems only right that Ed McMahon keeps his home, even if he does have severe debts.

Another man has had a serious role in this, who perhaps deserves more kudos than Donald Trump. Ed McMahon’s listing agent Alex Davis flew to New York this past weekend to personally appeal to Donald to help out his client. This goes above and beyond the call of duty. He obviously caught The Don at a good time – his son announced today that another little Trump will soon be joining the empire.

Ed McMahon is shown at the Simpsons Movie on 7/24/07. Credit: John Cronise/ WENN. Donald Trump is shown at the Sex and The City premiere on 5/27/08. Credit: WENN.

This story just goes to show that even if you’re rich, you can still have the same money problems as everyone else. Most of us assumed that former “Tonight Show” sidekick Ed McMahon was set for life, but when the news broke a couple of weeks ago that he was about to lose his house to foreclosure, it illustrated that the downward housing spiral was affecting people of all income levels. Now, it’s revealed that Ed is also a victim of the credit crunch- thanks to the spending habits of his wife, Pamela.

The one word that’s turning Ed McMahon from baller to beggar: Plastic.

Our sources tell us Pamela McMahon, Ed’s wife of 16 years, is literally spending him onto the street. We hear she’s completely “oblivious” to the late night legend’s cash troubles, and shops like their life depended on it. Her AmEx bill is legendary — the couple reportedly owes nearly $750K.

That’s causing an issue for Ed’s friends, who are conflicted about bailing him out. They don’t want to see their 85-year-old friend foreclosed on and homeless, but they also don’t want to encourage Pamela’s passion for Prada.

And to add insult to injury, now Donald Trump wants to exploit Ed’s sad situation for publicity. The blowhard famewhore has made a public “offer” to help the “Bloopers” star, but that’s news to Ed. Trump’s only reached out to the public — not the McMahons — as you think he might. A source close to Ed tells us the “people who are talking publicly aren’t necessarily the ones who are helping.” We hear there are others who “quietly” are trying to assist.

Ed’s rep denies Pamela’s spending is the reason for their troubles — the rep says she’s not “extravagant.”

[From TMZ]

Personally, I wouldn’t take a dime from Donald Trump. I’d sell everything I owned before accepting help from that jackass, because he’d never let you live it down. But then again, I’d also have a hard time lending money to someone with a $750,000 American Express bill. That’s almost a million bucks in purchases! What could she possibly be buying? Donald may be Ed’s only hope! If I were Ed, I would have quietly taken the AmEx and put it through a shredder years ago. He must have a hard time saying no.

Ed and Pamela McMahon are shown at the Cinema City International Film Festival on 9/29/07, thanks to PRPhotos.

Former Johnny Carson wingman, Ed McMahon, 85, is suffering from the credit crunch that is costing many Americans their homes. The elderly spokesperson is $644,000 behind on a $4.8 million loan on his Beverly Hills Mansion and risks foreclosure. What’s worse is that he’s having trouble selling the home, which has been for sale for two years and he’s asking $5.75 million for, because the paparazzi swarming Britney’s mansion in the same neighborhood are making the location less desirable for wealthy buyers.

McMahon broke his neck in a 2007 fall and underwent two corrective surgeries. He has been laid up and unable to work since. He lives in the house with his wife Pamela. The Wall St. Journal reports that he may be able to work out a settlement or arrangement with the bank so that he is not forced to move out.

The last I remember seeing McMahon he was endorsing those sweepstakes that scammed people into subscribing to magazines. That publishing company, American Family Publishers, filed for bankruptcy in 1998. McMahon currently hosts a hour long weekly radio show on the USA Network called “Lifestyles Live.” According to IMDB, he had some piecemeal voicework for children’s cartoons in 2003 and 2004 and has a bit part in an upcoming movie called Jelly.

McMahon received a $7.2 million settlement from an insurance company in a 2002 lawsuit over mold that spread throughout the home, killing his dog and making his wife ill. That detail about the home was easy to find, and may also deter potential buyers.

Ed McMahon is shown at the Simpsons Movie premiere on 7/24/07, thanks to WENN.