{"id":635991,"date":"2026-06-13T03:20:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T03:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/635991\/"},"modified":"2026-06-13T03:20:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T03:20:17","slug":"jason-derulo-faces-criticism-over-cruel-underground-shark-tank-in-his-california-mansion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/635991\/","title":{"rendered":"Jason Derulo faces criticism over \u2018cruel\u2019 underground shark tank in his California mansion"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Jason Derulo<\/a> has been criticized by an animal welfare organization after he revealed his at-home shark tank<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Last month, the \u201cWatcha Say\u201d singer, 36, showed his shark and stingray tank to YouTuber N3on on a recorded tour of his $15 million Tarzana, California<\/a> home. In the video, he revealed that he lets his son name the animals<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The circular tank is positioned underground as the living room\u2019s centerpiece and covered by glass, allowing people to walk above it and see the animals swimming below.<\/p>\n

The video drew criticism<\/a> from an animal welfare organization, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, after it circulated online.<\/p>\n

\u201cNormalising the ownership of sharks in a domestic tank sends a damaging message to audiences around the world,\u201d said IFAW\u2019s Christian Plowman, via The Mirror.<\/p>\n

Jason Derulo\u2019s underground shark and ray tank inside his California home (N3on\/YouTube)<\/p>\n

\u201cSharks are facing severe pressures \u2014 threatened by overfishing, pollution and habitat destruction, with many species now considered endangered. They play a critical role in maintaining healthy ocean ecosystems,\u201d said Plowman.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe recent seizure of more than 700 trafficked marine animals in Argentina is a stark reminder that the illegal \u2018exotic\u2019 pet trade extends far beyond the species most people think of. Sharks, rays and other marine animals are increasingly being targeted to satisfy demand for home aquariums and luxury displays.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plowman highlighted that sharks had become a status symbol among the wealthy. \u201cWhen celebrities and influencers with millions of followers treat wild animals as interior design features, the consequences reach far beyond their living rooms,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"JasonJason Derulo has faced criticism for the shark tank on display in his lavish California mansion (Getty Images for Lionsgate)<\/p>\n

His statement continued: \u201cIFAW urges the public not to like, share or engage with content that normalises the keeping of wild animals as pets. Every interaction feeds the algorithm \u2014 and ultimately, the trade.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is legal to keep certain smaller, non-endangered shark species as pets in California, provided they are kept in properly sized aquariums, though animal campaigners often argue that this is still unethical.<\/p>\n

Speaking about the process of getting the tank installed in his home, Derulo told the streamer it took \u201ca lot\u201d of time and money.<\/p>\n

\u201cBasically, I got someone who makes pools to do the shell of it, and then I had the aquarium people put it all together. Then I had a different floor that didn\u2019t show the sharks well enough, so I decided to go for white [background],\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added that a team from the aquarium comes to his home every two days to monitor the water and clean it.<\/p>\n

The singer has also been subject to criticism from online critics, who argued it was a \u201ccruel\u201d way to keep the animals and that the enclosure was too small. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not even close to the size of a tank these sharks need. Send them free,\u201d said one person on TikTok. \u201cIt\u2019s wrong,\u201d said another. The Independent has contacted Derulo\u2019s representatives for comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":635992,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[96,391,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-635991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-entertainment","tag-tv","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=635991"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635991\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/635992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=635991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=635991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=635991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}