Tyrone McKillen was the archetypal star broker when he joined Official in 2023. Now he's leaving as the firm's future has been thrown into doubt.
Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images; Rebecca Zisser/BI
Tyrone McKillen, a high-profile residential real estate agent based in Los Angeles, is leaving Official Partners, the luxury brokerage company that was thrown into turmoil after two of its cofounders were accused of rape.
McKillen said he hasn't yet formally parted ways with the New York-based firm, but is arranging his exit. The 36-year old broker's sales group, called Plus Real Estate, will now operate independently under that brand going forward. He said that 8 brokers who worked with him at Official will remain with Plus in its breakaway from the firm.
"We have been building the Plus brand over the past 10 years, so it's a natural progression for us," he said.
Nicole Oge, Official's chief growth officer, said that she and McKillen "have a deep amount of respect for one another, I support him in his decision."
The team is the most visible departure so far from the once-ascendant brokerage in the aftermath of startling allegations against Tal and Oren Alexander, sibling agents who were among the cofounders of Official when it was launched in 2022.
In June, The Real Deal, a real estate-focused publication, broke the news that two women had accused Oren and another brother, Alon, of rape in a pair of civil lawsuits that were filed in New York State court in March.
Shortly after the revelation of those cases, a third woman claimed in a New York civil case filed that month that Tal and Alon raped her as Oren watched.
The alleged sexual attacks took place more than a decade ago. The three brothers have denied the allegations.
In a response to the lawsuit against him, Tal stated that his accuser's claims were "fabricated allegations for financial gain." His attorney has sought to dismiss the case.
In the aftermath of the allegations, Oge announced that "Oren was immediately isolated from the business" and that "the process of removing him from ownership is well underway."
An attorney for Tal announced in a statement in late June that he and Official had mutually agreed that he would "take a leave" from the firm as he focused "fully on clearing his name."
Nonetheless, the close association between the Alexanders, who were among the country's most successful real estate brokers, and Official has dealt collateral damage to the company's image and business pipeline, even as it seeks to distance itself from its once-marquee stars.
JDS Development Group plans to remove the company this week from the sales assignment for 888 Brickell, a high-rise condo tower the firm is building in Miami, according to a person with direct knowledge of JDS's decision making.
Michael Shvo, another builder who is planning a luxury condo project at the Raleigh hotel in Miami Beach, also recently dropped Official from that development's marketing efforts.
John Hudak, a broker based in New York who worked under the Alexanders, also left the company in June, moving to the rival firm Compass.
"You don't go through something like this as a business and be completely unaffected," Oge said.
Oge said that the firm was "in active and productive discussions to move forward as a strengthened entity." She declined to say whether that included a rebranding or reorganization of the company's ownership structure that would seek to more thoroughly eliminate its connection with the Alexanders.
"We have spent time assessing options to determine what's best for our agents and clients," Oge said.
McKillen was a much-heralded addition to Official when he joined the firm in early 2023, credited with overseeing a team that had tallied $1.8 billion of pricey home sales.
In 2017, he arranged the $88 million sale of a Bel Air mansion to the megastar music couple Beyonce and Jay-Z.
"Tyrone is the ultimate exemplification of Official's vision," Richard Jordan, the company's CEO said in a statement at the time of his hiring.
