A Christmas Story Homeowner Explains Altercation with Movie’s Actor Amid Sale

Last week, it was reported that Yano Anaya, who played Grover Dill in the original A Christmas Story as well as the new sequel A Christmas Story Christmas, got into an altercation with Brian Jones, the man who currently owns the iconic Cleveland house from the film. According to a video shared by TMZ, Anaya was taking photos with fans on the front steps of the house when Jones started screaming at the actor to leave the house and never come back. Anaya’s business partner, Emmanuel Soba, claimed he was unsure why Jones reacted as he did as Anaya and the homeowner were in talks for the actor to buy the house. Today, Variety released an interview with Jones who spoke about the sale and addressed the recent altercation, saying he didn’t like that Anaya was asking for donations to go towards the purchase. 

“I was concerned about the fans,” Jones explained. “I didn’t want to see them get defrauded out of money. Knowing what the place is going to go for, there was no way that those funds were actually going to be used to purchase the house. I just couldn’t stand to see that happening to fans out there. But I lost my temper. I could have handled it better. It was a stressful time for me.” During the interview, Jones also talked about his history with the house and his business selling replicas of the famous leg lamps from the movie.

“Lamp lights, lamp cups, mugs, shot glasses – anything leg lamp is the most popular item in the gift shop,” Jones shared. “I officially started the business in 2003. I sold 500 in the first year while still in the Navy, just moonlighting doing it. After I got out, I had them made overseas in China. I got 2,100, which is three shipping containers, for the second year. At the same time, the house comes up for sale on Ebay – a new business, but this is an obvious natural extension.”

He added of selling the house, “I’d wanted to a put this up for sale for quite a number of years. It’s always been part of the plan after getting it up and running … I’ve tried to tee this up for anybody who wants to take it to the next level. There’s more to do here: a candy store where you can see some grizzly bears, a Santa mountain. I’d love to add a Chinese restaurant and a BB-gun range. We can make it completely immersive for people.”

“It might be me, if it doesn’t sell. Either way, I expect a bright future for the house,” Jones revealed. “It’s an awesome place. If there’s an opportunity to do something else in life, I’m going to try and do that. If it doesn’t work out, I’m still in a great spot owning this business and being able to continue to run it.”

A Christmas Story Christmas is now streaming on HBO Max.