Julia Fox says she keeps NYC apartment because she wants her son to be in touch with the ‘real world’

‘I grew up in the real world, believe it or not. So I just want my son to have the same,’ she says

Julia Fox has revealed why keeping her New York City apartment has helped her son become more in touch with the “real world” despite her life in the spotlight.

In a recent video on her TikTok, Fox responded to a troll who claimed that she was worth “30 million dollars”. The remark was a comment on the New York City apartment tour video she recently conducted on the platform in an effort to give “maximum transparency” to her fans about her not-so luxurious space.

After noting in her clip that she didn’t “expect [her] apartment tour to go so viral,” she shut down the claim that she’s worth $30 million.

“Not even close,” she said. “I don’t give a f***. I don’t need $30 million, what does one person need $30 million for? I’ve survived on a lot less and I’m doing just fine.”

The 32-year-old actor explained that the criticsm around her apartment shouldn’t be “that deep” since it’s the place where she first welcomed her now two-year-old, Valentino, whom she shares with ex-husband Peter Artemiev.

“This just happens to be the apartment that I took my son home from the hospital from,” she said. “It’s just home. It really is Valentino’s apartment. It’s like a sentimental thing.”

She went on to explain that while she “could probably afford a bigger place”, she still thinks that her current apartment could give her child “a sense of normalcy”.

“I don’t want him to grow up and be like a f***ing prick,” Fox continued. “I want him to be in touch with the real world. Because I grew up in the real world, believe it or not. So I just want my son to have the same.”

The Uncut Gems star noted that while fans have assumed that she buys “nice s**t,” she actually doesn’t. More specifically, she said the couture she does wear is “borrowed” and that her clothes are usually made by “young designers, who are just starting out”.

The model concluded her video by calling out the positive reviews she’s received about her apartment tour.

“It really warms my heart that so many people relate,” she said. “I used to be an aesthetic queen and want my space curated perfectly or a certain way. But now I realised there’s more to life. I don’t give a f***.”

As of 31 January, Fox’s video has more than 3.3m views, with fans in the comments praising her perspective and criticising any trolls who mocked her apartment.

“People are mad when celebs are out of touch, and also mad when they’re just like us I guess?” one wrote.

“You’re so real for this, that’s why you’re the only influencer I follow,” another added.

A third said: “It’s only you and your son, I don’t get it, why do they think you need an empty mansion.”

TikTok users also emphasised how much they enjoyed seeing Fox’s space, one of which wrote: “I loved the apt tour. I thought it was refreshing and it’s an actual HOME that is lived in and loved.”

Fox first gave a glimpse of her one-bedroom apartment on TikTok earlier this week, describing it as “very underwhelming” because she doesn’t like having  “excessive displays of wealth” in her home.

“They make me feel icky, especially people that have really big houses. It’s just really wasteful when there’s so many homeless people in this country,” she said. “I’m just not really like that.”

In the tour, the native New Yorker revealed that she put her bed in the living room so she could turn the bedroom into a “playroom for Valentino”. She also showcased her “little bathroom” and kitchen, which had shoeboxes in it.

Fox confessed that similar to many New Yorkers, she has a minor mouse problem, which she tries to view as a positive thing.

“I appreciate that at night, while we’re sleeping, they come out and clean up the crumbs that my son drops on the floor,” she said. “I’m not gonna evict the mice any time soon.”