‘Queen of Versailles Reigns Again’ Heartbreaking Home Transformation Honors Daughter After Her Death [Exclusive]
The Queen of Versailles Reigns Again may sound triumphant, but the docuseries race to finish America’s largest single-family home is paved with heartbreak and devastation in its wake.
Socialite Jackie Siegel, her billionaire husband David, and their children were the focus of the 2012 documentary, The Queen of Versailles, a film that tracked the opulence and often indulgent desire to create the largest and most expensive 90,000 square foot home in the country. Construction ground to a halt when the 2008 recession hit, which is where the documentary ended.
And while the financial crisis hamstrung the family, it was the death of their 18-year-old daughter Victoria in 2015 that redirected the home’s construction going forward, not only changing how it was built, but giving the massive Orlando, FL property an entirely new meaning.
‘Versailles’ sat empty after the Siegel’s daughter died
Jackie told Showbiz Cheat Sheet the family tried to revisit construction after the recession. But she and David couldn’t think about the house after Victoria died due to an accidental overdose of methadone and antidepressants. “We actually did try to go full force to finish it seven years ago,” she recalled. “But that’s when we lost our daughter. And we didn’t care about the house. We didn’t go there for months.”
“I was like a zombie,” she recalled. “My husband, he just kind of stayed to himself, and here we are, all the money in the world and we couldn’t bring back our daughter.” Jackie also discussed her daughter’s death when she was a charter guest on two seasons of Below Deck.
She and David connected with Captain Lee Rosbach during Below Deck Season 7 because his son had also died from an accidental overdose.
The Queen of Versailles plans to use the home for fundraising
Instead of finishing the house, Jackie threw herself into building a foundation to help families with substance abuse. “Since then we’ve started our foundation and we thought, this house, we’ll be able to have the most amazing fundraisers and charity events. And use it to bring awareness to the drug epidemic.”
Victoria’s Voice Foundation offers educational resources and raises funds that support programs that bring awareness to fight the opioid crisis. “So that’s my big motivation now [with finishing the house],” she said. “Our foundation is growing so huge. And we really need a venue of his caliber to host it.”
She’s also open to hosting other nonprofits and foundations, like supporting Captain Lee’s foundation. Rosbach talked about finding a way to fund a rehab facility that would be located on a barge. He’s still in the planning stages, but Jackie said her home is open to him for fundraising.
“We’re going to find a synergy with our foundation and his foundation because it’s all about saving lives,” she said.
The documentary will feature a new design direction
Jackie also said her life and lifestyle have changed considerably over the past 20 years. What began as a family home, when her children were younger, has now become something else. Her children are grown and she views the home differently.
“The house is actually my husband’s dream,” she said. “He just wanted a house for the family. Like we had the ice skating rink and the rollerskating rink. Bowling … all that but the function of the house has changed. We’re going to host a lot of drug and alcohol awareness events. Or who knows maybe do Bible studies.”
The design intentions have changed too. “This season is going to answer a lot of unanswered questions [from the documentary],” she said. “Like what’s taking so long. So for the people who’ve seen the documentary, they’re going to really enjoy seeing the challenges of building a house like this. Because it’s not just building a house where you go to Home Depot for the finishings for it.”
“I ordered everything to be custom done,” she added. “Everything is real, nothing is faux.” Designers come in from all over the world, plus Jackie is seen traveling to make design decisions. Jackie also said her children are now intimately involved in the design and project management side – something she loved about finishing the house 20 years later.
How to get help: In the U.S., contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
The Queen of Versailles Reigns Again will be available to stream on discovery+ Wednesday, March 30.
