Kim Basinger reacts to her misfortune inspiring Schitt’s Creek: 'Made for good material'

Hollywood actress Kim Basinger unknowingly became the inspiration behind one of television’s most beloved sitcoms. Back in 1989, the now 71-year-old star made headlines when she purchased a town in Georgia for $20 million, only to sell it a few years later for a fraction of the price. Fast forward to 2015, and her real-life misfortune became the foundation for Schitt’s Creek—a fan-favorite comedy created by Dan and Eugene Levy.
Despite the show’s success, Basinger only recently discovered her connection to it. In an interview with Variety, she expressed her surprise and amusement. “Who knew? I love that show,” she said. “So, hey, made for good material.” She even joked about the financial irony of it all, adding, “That would be lovely to have those royalty checks!”
The father-son duo behind Schitt’s Creek first revealed Basinger’s influence on the series during a 2019 interview with Vanity Fair. According to Dan Levy, the idea emerged while researching stories of wealthy individuals who had lost massive fortunes.
“We were in the early stages of figuring out what the backstory was,” Dan explained. “In the process, I stumbled upon an article about Kim Basinger having bought this town in Georgia.”That discovery led to the hilarious premise of the show: a wealthy family that buys a small town as a joke, only to lose everything except that town when their fortune vanishes.
“We thought, what if that could be funny?” Dan continued. “Unfortunately, it took a probably very traumatizing experience in Kim Basinger’s life for us to get here, but yeah… It was the most unlikely of Google searches.” While Basinger may not have received royalty checks for inspiring Schitt’s Creek, her real-life story played a pivotal role in shaping one of the most critically acclaimed sitcoms in recent years.