Jim Belushi has traded from Hollywood for a weed farm in Oregon.
The According to Jim star, who was pocketing a whopping $743,000 ($US500,000) per episode at the peak of his TV career, visited a family friend who lived on the Rogue River.
The trip turned out to be life-altering both personally and professionally. A few years later, the Chicago-born actor bought a 37ha property in Eagle Point, Oregon.
The entertainer transformed the estate into a thriving cannabis farm operating under the brand Belushi’s Farm.
“This — all of this — was an accident,” he told Men’s Health in 2021.
“I wasn’t looking to change my career or looking to get out. I invested in this property, and this energy here led me to where I am today.”
The 72-year-old, who is worth around $74m ($US50m), said he made the lifestyle change because he felt his time in California was finished.
“I’ve done it,” the Saturday Night Live alum told The Hollywood Reporter in 2020.
“I raised my kids there, went to all the premieres. I went to award shows.
“’Ive been to Toscana 1,600 times. I have a grateful feeling for the life I had there — I’m just moving on to kind of a new reinvention.”
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Jim Belushi with Courtney Thorne-Smith from According to Jim.
The Chicago-born actor bought a 37ha property in Eagle Point, Oregon. Picture: Facebook/Belushi’s Farm
Although Belushi has continued to act occasionally since his sitcom ended in 2009, he finds his farm work much more fulfilling.
The significant life change is deeply rooted in a tragic family history. His older brother, the legendary comedian John Belushi, died of a drug overdose in 1982 at the age of 33.
The Red Heat star said the family loss shaped his perspective on alternative medicine and plant-based remedies.
“Alcohol has always been our go-to medicine,” he told Men’s Health.
“But it’s a poison. Addiction just comes into a family like a snake and slowly squeezes until somebody dies.
“Hence John. So once somebody dies in your family from an addiction, you look for alternative medicine. And cannabis is the safest, I believe.”
The actor transformed the estate into a thriving cannabis farm operating under the brand Belushi’s Farm. Picture: YouTube/GROWING BELUSHI
Belushi finds his farm work much more fulfilling. Picture: Facebook/Belushi’s Farm
While his farming career has brought him stability, Belushi has dealt with significant personal challenges lately.
The Curly Sue star was previously married to Sandra Davenport between 1980 and 1988, with whom he shares a son, Robert.
He was later married to Marjorie Bransfield from 1990 to 1992.
He subsequently tied the knot with Jennifer Sloan in 1998, sharing a daughter, Jamison, 26, and a son, Jared, 24.
While Sloan originally filed for divorce in 2018, the couple briefly reconciled before Belushi ultimately filed for divorce in 2021.
Belushi pinpointed March 17, 2020, the start of California’s strict COVID-19 lockdowns, as the moment his marriage fell apart.
“The pandemic either brought people together or split them apart,” he told Men’s Health.
“It just blew up my family. We couldn’t keep it together.”
Jim Belushi and ex-wife Jennifer Sloan. Picture: Getty
Belushi finally offloaded the home in December 2021 for $US30m.
Before making his major lifestyle transition, the actor parted with his luxury estate.
In September 2017, Belushi listed his 1300sq m mansion in Brentwood, California, with price expectations of $55.1m ($US38.5m).
Property records show he originally acquired the site for $11.8m ($US8.3m) before constructing the six-bedroom compound.
Following a gruelling four-year sales campaign that saw multiple major price cuts, Belushi briefly relisted the estate for $54m ($US38m).
He finally offloaded the home in December 2021 for $42m ($US30m).
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