{"id":11786,"date":"2026-07-20T18:41:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T13:41:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=11786"},"modified":"2026-07-20T18:41:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T13:41:51","slug":"octavia-spencers-very-private-life-off-screen-including-haunted-la-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=11786","title":{"rendered":"Octavia Spencer&#8217;s very private life off-screen \u2013 including &#8216;haunted&#8217; LA home"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p id=\"eambCbDUD0\" data-wc=\"13\"><a class=\"hm-link he-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hellomagazine.com\/tags\/octavia-spencer\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-body-link\">Octavia Spencer<\/a> is captivating audiences with her new action comedy, <em>Ride or Die.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><ev-engagement id=\"horizon_hello\" group-name=\"horizon_hello\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"e_915hzA51W\" data-wc=\"37\">The Oscar winner stars opposite Hannah Waddingham in the <a class=\"hm-link he-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hellomagazine.com\/tags\/amazon-prime\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-body-link\">Prime Video<\/a> series, which follows best friends Debbie and Judith, who are forced to go on the run when Judith&#8217;s secret career as an international assassin is uncovered.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"eRkDMLzJlPK\" data-wc=\"29\">While she&#8217;s widely celebrated for her stellar Hollywood career, including acclaimed roles in <em>The Help<\/em> and <em>Hidden Figures<\/em>, Octavia likes to keep her private life out of the spotlight.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"fr-embedded\">\n<div data-wc=\"200\" id=\"e8Lq3xtTHA\">\n<figure class=\"he-meIm-995f02\">\n<div class=\"he-imCo-14461c5\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/afbc8521bd99-gettyimages-140042734.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width:1360px) 630px, (min-width:960px) 60vw, (min-width:320px) calc(100vw - (var(--page-gutter) * 2)), calc(100vw - (var(--page-gutter) * 2))\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/afbc8521bd99-gettyimages-140042734.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_960 960w, https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/afbc8521bd99-gettyimages-140042734.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_640 640w, https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/afbc8521bd99-gettyimages-140042734.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_360 360w\" width=\"740\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Octavia Spencer accepts the Best Supporting Actress Award for &quot;The Help&quot; onstage during the 84th Annual Academy Awards on February 26, 2012\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" class=\"image he-image\" data-flatplan=\"fp_photoCaption\"\/><span class=\"he-imCr-1233683\">\u00a9 Getty<\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"he-meImCa-17135c3\">Octavia Spencer is an Oscar-winning actress<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"ecYO7aT9GYG\" data-wc=\"29\">Read on to find out all we know about Octavia&#8217;s life off-screen, from her &#8220;haunted&#8221; Los Angeles home to her candid reflections on her choice not to have children.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fr-embedded\">\n<div data-wc=\"100\" id=\"e6ZUHY3GMl\">\n<p><figure class=\" he-theme he-viPl-1156a89\"><figcaption class=\"he-viPlTi-167079e\" aria-describedby=\"\">WATCH: The trailer for Ride or Die<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\" data-wc=\"3\" id=\"h2-4mrt9tm3t\">Octavia&#8217;s home life<\/h2>\n<p id=\"eaoaihvKFrG\" data-wc=\"27\">It&#8217;s believed that Octavia lives in the affluent LA neighbourhood of Toluca Lake in the San Fernando Valley, having moved into the Spanish-style, 1,714-square-foot home in 2013.<\/p>\n<p id=\"e1qp0uy2Q56\" data-wc=\"17\">In 2021, Octavia claimed that her house was haunted by the spirit of a Western movie star.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fr-embedded\">\n<div data-wc=\"75\" id=\"efBF8FivZZ\">\n<figure class=\"he-meIm-995f02\">\n<div class=\"he-imCo-14461c5\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/9c36b71395bf-hannahwaddingham-octaviaspencer-edskreininrideordiecourtesyofprimevid.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width:1360px) 630px, (min-width:960px) 60vw, (min-width:320px) calc(100vw - (var(--page-gutter) * 2)), calc(100vw - (var(--page-gutter) * 2))\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/9c36b71395bf-hannahwaddingham-octaviaspencer-edskreininrideordiecourtesyofprimevid.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_960 960w, https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/9c36b71395bf-hannahwaddingham-octaviaspencer-edskreininrideordiecourtesyofprimevid.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_640 640w, https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/9c36b71395bf-hannahwaddingham-octaviaspencer-edskreininrideordiecourtesyofprimevid.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_360 360w\" width=\"1024\" height=\"428\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Hannah Waddingham in a gold dress and Octavia Spencer in a white blazer stand together at an event.\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" class=\"image he-image\" data-flatplan=\"fp_photoCaption\"\/><span class=\"he-imCr-1233683\">\u00a9 Courtesy of Prime<\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"he-meImCa-17135c3\">Octavia stars opposite Hannah Waddingham in Ride or Die<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"eh8Ll6P2Au8\" data-wc=\"41\">&#8220;I grew up watching Westerns and I bought this house, and it was owned by a guy who did Westerns and I must have been a fan of his. I think he is my protector,&#8221; she told<em>\u00a0The Ellen DeGeneres Show.<\/em><\/p>\n<p id=\"eIINrYyYiUa\" data-wc=\"40\">Sharing her affection for the ghost, she continued: &#8220;I love him because he kind of sorts out the bad people that shouldn&#8217;t be there. He runs them out. If they stay at my place they don&#8217;t want to come back.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\" data-wc=\"3\" id=\"h2-4mrt9tm3u\">Octavia&#8217;s six siblings<\/h2>\n<p id=\"eVnVz0oYKoZ\" data-wc=\"26\">Raised in Alabama, Octavia grew up alongside her six siblings, one of whom is Areka Spencer, a morning news anchor on the Boston radio station, WRKO.<\/p>\n<p id=\"eIX3y3u2RkS\" data-wc=\"23\">Her mother, Dellsena, worked as a maid to support her family. She sadly passed away when the <em>Hidden Figures<\/em> star was just 18.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"fr-embedded\">\n<div data-wc=\"75\" id=\"extc1gUmBEx\">\n<figure class=\"he-meIm-995f02\">\n<div class=\"he-imCo-14461c5\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/dea453b7788b-gettyimages-2188657890.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width:1360px) 630px, (min-width:960px) 60vw, (min-width:320px) calc(100vw - (var(--page-gutter) * 2)), calc(100vw - (var(--page-gutter) * 2))\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/dea453b7788b-gettyimages-2188657890.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_960 960w, https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/dea453b7788b-gettyimages-2188657890.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_640 640w, https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/dea453b7788b-gettyimages-2188657890.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_360 360w\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Octavia Spencer speaks onstage during the 38th Annual American Cinematheque Awards at The Beverly Hilton on December 06, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" class=\"image he-image\" data-flatplan=\"fp_photoCaption\"\/><span class=\"he-imCr-1233683\">\u00a9 Presley Ann<\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"he-meImCa-17135c3\">Octavia was raised in Alabama<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"eWEuPKa6UOP\" data-wc=\"40\">Reflecting on her childhood in an interview with <a class=\"hm-link he-link\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/movies\/octavia-spencer-losing-mother-18-lessons\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-body-link\">PEOPLE<\/a> in 2016, Octavia said: &#8220;I had a very strong mom who made me and my sisters understand that there were no limitations on our lives except what we placed on ourselves.<\/p>\n<p id=\"eQttvlA_qqN\" data-wc=\"59\">&#8220;She taught us to see people as people. All people. Taught us to understand our place in the world,&#8221; continued the actress. &#8220;And our place in the world is, if you want to be a leader, you can be that. There was no glass ceiling until I got into the real world and realized there are glass ceilings everywhere!&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\" data-wc=\"6\" id=\"h2-4mrt9tm3v\">Octavia&#8217;s decision not to have children<\/h2>\n<p id=\"eUmfVibgNjX\" data-wc=\"19\">Octavia likes to keep details about her love life private, so very little is known about her relationship history.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"eLkc7v5IR3xr\" data-wc=\"11\">However, she has spoken openly about her choice to remain child-free.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fr-embedded\">\n<div data-wc=\"75\" id=\"efJjYUlXXB\">\n<figure class=\"he-meIm-995f02\">\n<div class=\"he-imCo-14461c5\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/0289a2c08d14-octavia-spencer.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width:1360px) 630px, (min-width:960px) 60vw, (min-width:320px) calc(100vw - (var(--page-gutter) * 2)), calc(100vw - (var(--page-gutter) * 2))\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/0289a2c08d14-octavia-spencer.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_960 960w, https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/0289a2c08d14-octavia-spencer.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_640 640w, https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/0289a2c08d14-octavia-spencer.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_360 360w\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Actress Octavia Spencer arrives at the 2012 Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala at Palm Springs Convention Center on January 7, 2012 in Palm Springs, California.\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" class=\"image he-image\" data-flatplan=\"fp_photoCaption\"\/><span class=\"he-imCr-1233683\">\u00a9 Getty Images<\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"he-meImCa-17135c3\">Octavia likes to keep her personal life out of the spotlight<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"esU9pk5PjtDu\" data-wc=\"44\">Reflecting on her decision in a 2013 interview with <a class=\"hm-link he-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/video\/actresses-roundtable-6-top-actresses-659735\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-body-link\">The Hollywood Reporter<\/a>, she said, &#8220;And now I&#8217;m thinking my eggs are dying on the shelf. They&#8217;re going to go past their expiration date. But it&#8217;s what I chose, so I&#8217;m fine with that decision.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p id=\"es5_j1N5n1bP\" data-wc=\"77\">Later, while promoting the 2014 drama <em>Black or White<\/em>, in which she played a grandmother, Octavia elaborated on the subject. &#8220;I am not maternal at all,&#8221; she told <a class=\"hm-link he-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/celebrity-news\/news\/octavia-spencer-not-maternal-at-all-2015231\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-body-link\">Us Weekly<\/a>. \u00a0&#8220;I don&#8217;t have any kids. I don&#8217;t have a maternal instinct,&#8221; continued the actress, adding: &#8220;There are certain archetypes that are played a lot for women of color. I chose to be a part of this movie because of the message, and how the message is presented.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Octavia Spencer is captivating audiences with her new action comedy, Ride or Die. The Oscar winner stars opposite Hannah Waddingham in the Prime Video series, which follows best friends Debbie and Judith, who are forced to go on the run when Judith&#8217;s secret career as an international assassin is uncovered.\u00a0 While she&#8217;s widely celebrated for&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11787,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/landscape\/c713c59ae583-octaviaspencerinrideordiecourtesyofdusanmartincekforprimevideo3000.jpg?tx=c_fill,w_1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11786"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11786\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}