Hollywood stars are notorious for living in stunning home with jaw-dropping amenities, from movie theaters to top-of-the-line gyms. But 90s star Matthew Lawrence may win the award for most unique feature: his own personal zoo!
On August 22, 2026, HGTV kicked off its new YouTube series, “Celebrity Style: 90s Edition,” in which popular interior designer MaCenna Lee makes house calls at the homes of six stars who rose to fame in the 90s, including several who will star on HGTV’s new “Totally 90s House,” which premieres on August 26. For the first episode, Lee visits Lawrence’s jungle-like abode, complete with his wild collection of beloved repties.
Matthew Lawrence Says He Bought His Home in 2000
Lawrence, one-third of the popular Lawrence Brothers trio of actors with siblings Joey and Andrew, was a child star in the 80s on shows like “Gimme a Break” and Geena Davis’ one-season show, “Sara.” His fame exploded in the 90s in the hit movie “Mrs. Doubtfire” and the sitcoms “Brotherly Love” (co-starring his siblings) and “Boy Meets World,” per IMDb.
Most recently, Lawrence has co-starred with his brothers in multiple Christmas movies available on Netflix, and co-hosted the Hallmark+ unscripted series “Second Chance Love” in January 2026 with his girlfriend, TLC’s Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas.
As Lawrence showed Lee the 1930s Spanish Colonial Revival home he’s owned since 2000, he admitted his dated, all-white kitchen needs to be redone, telling her, “I call it the mess hall. It’s funny, you see, like, a single 20-year-old guy, like the last thing I was interested in was the kitchen. I put in all this time and energy and work on the outside. Never thought once about the kitchen.”
His brother Andrew and mom live with him, he said, and he’s transformed his downstairs den into a recording studio, where he and his brothers record their weekly “Brotherly Love” podcast. Views of the home’s light-filled interior show lots of plants, but nothing compares to Lawrence’s lush, jungle-like “zoo” on the property.
“Before we enter into this little area, just take a little look around and know that every single tree and plant on this property I planted,” he told Lee, adding, “Everything here is because I am a herpatologist.”
Fascinated by the study of reptiles and amphibians, Lawrence gave HGTV’s cameras a look at his many pets, including a baby Parson’s chameleon that fit in his hand, but is the “largest chameleon in the world” and will grow to be as long as his arm. Noting that it was a dream come true to own him, Lawrence gushed, “And they have the most amazing little personalities.”
Matthew Lawrence & MaCenna Lee Built a Custom Tortoise Bench For His Pool Deck
Lawrence’s reptile collection ranges from a giant Black Dragon Monitor to a 30-pound Cuban Rock Iguana, but he worked with Lee to help him turn a corner of his pool deck into an oasis for his desert tortoises, who walk laps around the pool “every day.”
Lee came up with a plan to build a cedarwood “tortoise bench” that would brighten up the outdoor space with seating for humans and a hiding spot underneath for the tortoises. Together, they spent the day cleaning the area with a power washer, measuring for materials, adding landscaping, and building the custom bench.
The project was a bigger undertaking than Lee realized, though, admitting that they needed a weekend rather than one day. With two hours left until the sun set, she said they had five steps left, but Lawrence said they “somehow pulled this miracle off!”
Fans loved the finished result, flooding YouTube with over a thousand comments in less than 24 hours, including many who were thrilled to see Lee collaborating with HGTV.
One gushed, “Macenna is so so good at this! And the cherry on top-is our 90’s friends!!!! This is the mash up we didn’t know we needed!!!!”
Another commented, “I love his house! With celebrity house tours you often get the sense that they don’t really LIVE there, it is polished and designed but has no actual personality. With Matt’s house you know he really lives here, has built a life here and cherishes his in and outdoor space!”
New episodes of “Celebrity Style: 90s Edition” will drop each Saturday on HGTV’s YouTube channel. Meawhile, “Totally 90s House” premieres on August 26 at 9 p.m. Eastern time, with 90s stars competing as they transform a 90s-era home.
