Inside Vanessa Williams’ 4.45-acre Chappaqua mansion



This suburban New York mansion is fit for royalty.

Former Miss America Vanessa Williams lives in an 11,603-square-foot $1.75 million Chappaqua home, which will be featured on MTV’s “Cribs” on Dec. 13.

The 4.45-acre Westchester County spread is so sprawling, the singer and actress uses a golf cart to retrieve her mail.

A highlight of the six-bedroom, five-bath abode is an office filled with memorabilia from the 60-year-old star’s decorated career.

It includes gold and platinum records, and “my original Corn Flakes box when I was Miss America 1983,” she says.

She also shows off her “presidential wall, these are the presidents I’ve met over the years,” with photos of herself with Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush.

The mom of four — who became a grandmother in 2021 — also has a room dedicated to rolling racks of glittering ballgowns.

Vanessa Williams, singer and actress, made history by becoming the first black woman to win the Miss America title. Getty Images
She still has the Corn Flakes box with her photo on the cover, commemorating the win. MTV

“These are some I’ve worn on television, in ‘Ugly Betty,’ ‘Queen of the Universe’ . . . on stage, in concerts,” she explains. “I’m gonna give you a show, no matter what I wear.”

When renovating the residence — which is just four miles from where she grew up in Millwood and dates back to 1906 — Williams made sure to preserve its history.

“These stones are the original stone wall to the exterior of a cottage that was here … And this house is probably haunted . . . it’s gotta be,” she said.

The stones on the other side of the house are from its original carriage house.

Williams’ office walls are filled with her gold and platinum records as well as photos of her with the presidents she’s met. MTV

“So what we have done is connected the carriage house and the cottage with all of the structure and that’s where the magic begins,” she explains.

Williams also steps into her dining room, where there’s a large painting of her in the witch costume she wore in Broadway’s “Into the Woods,” which earned her a Tony Award nomination.

During the kitchen tour, she opens up her Sub-Zero refrigerator, grabs a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, and states, “One must always have Champagne, always chilled, always available for any guests that happen to come in.”

The star has two Great Danes, Gilly and Roscoe, who sleep on her bed every night. MTV

She has four ovens “because Thanksgiving you’ve got a turkey in one, mac and cheese in the other, you’ve got your yams, you’ve got pies and cakes,” she says.

Williams has been married to accountant and real estate agent Jim Skrip since 2015. Skrip isn’t featured in the episode, but Williams’ two Great Danes, Gilly and Roscoe, are: They “sleep on my bed every night.”

The tennis court is where “we were lucky enough to have our first tennis lesson by Katrina Adams, who happens to be the first black female president of the USTA — not too shabby,” she says.

She also has a pool, tennis court, and basketball court on the sprawling property. MTV

The lawn, she points out, is where her “Ugly Betty” costar and “dear friend” America Ferrara tied the knot in 2011.

One of her most prized possessions sits in the driveway: a blue Maserati that she bought in 2008.

“I can remember the day that it was delivered, my heart was beating like crazy,” she said. “I’m never letting it go, so this is going to my grave with me.”





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