There’s a short video going around social media that was shot right on Hollywood Boulevard, near the Walk of Fame in California. It’s tough to watch, but you almost can’t look away. In the video, a man called Jerry has squeezed himself into a cramped gap in the sidewalk, turning it into his home. He is just sitting in there, mixed with debris and the dirt you would expect from living on the street. The video showed up on X, and even though it’s just 38 seconds long, it’s already racked up hundreds of thousands of views.
Someone holding a camera shot the video near the Hollywood Walk of Fame. That stretch is swarming with tourists, but it’s just as known for people living on the streets as it is for those famous names set in the sidewalk. Los Angeles County tops the charts for the largest homeless population in the country, with more than 72,000 people at last count.
As soon as the clip landed on X, people started sharing it with a caption calling the man “relaxing there,” a phrase that sparked all kinds of reactions. Some folks found the tone off-putting right away.
The person behind the camera keeps leaning toward the opening, asking questions like, “What’s your name, brother?”, without letting up. The man inside handles it calmly. He says his name is Jerry and even gives a casual wave.
He is sitting in what looks like a cramped utility space, maybe an access hole in the sidewalk. He has stuffed himself there with a mix of trash and other items. He has made it a spot to rest, sheltered from the chaos above.
Jerry doesn’t look upset in the video, but plenty of commenters didn’t like being filmed at all. They wondered whether it did anything for Jerry or just turned him into content.
Internet Reacts to California Man Living in a Hole in the Hollywood Boulevard Sidewalk
Dark humor about California’s housing market dominated much of the thread. “Surprised California hasn’t taxed this guy on his 10 sq foot studio apartment yet. IRS will be there tomorrow,” one person wrote. Another matched the energy: “That’s not a hole, that’s a 400-square-foot studio with natural insulation and no landlord.” A third framed it as a property listing: “What kind of apartment $600K buys you in California.”
One commenter took a more conspiratorial view of the whole arrangement: “And I bet you he’s still paying rent to someone.” Another found gallows humor in global events: “Dude will be safe if World War 3 happens.”
Not everyone was in a joking mood. “We need to start leaving these people alone unless you’re planning to help — without a camera,” one response read pointedly.
That clip is viral because of where it takes place. Hollywood Boulevard in California isn’t just about glitzy premieres or tourists posing with celebrity handprints anymore; it’s also known for visible homelessness right alongside all that glamour. Los Angeles says its unhoused numbers have gone down in the last couple of years, but officials keep warning the situation might get worse, especially as funding dries up.
So seeing Jerry from LAist living in a hole right there, in the middle of this famous street, in one of the country’s priciest cities? It turns the whole scene into something bigger than just one guy’s story.
