Tarek El Moussa gifted his daughter, Taylor, a $150,000 SUV for her 16th birthday – a decision he has now publicly defended.
The former Flip or Flop co-host opened up about the gift during an appearance on Money Rehab podcast, explaining that his daughter "earned" the expensive present and he felt as though she "deserved" the car for her recent accomplishments.
Tarek, along with his wife, Heather El Moussa, and his ex-wife, Christina Haack, purchased the BMW X5 in August, ahead of the 16-year-old's milestone birthday.
© Instagram"She got a 4.2 GPA," said Tarek. "She was MVP of her freshman soccer team. She’s an absolutely fantastic kid and didn’t just get it; she actually earned it. And if you ask me, she deserved it because she worked really, really hard."
The star noted that his daughter never asked for the expensive gift. "It was more of a surprise," he said, explaining that although she would have been content with a "used Honda," he wanted to treat her to something special. "That thing is built like a tank. The biggest thing for me was safety. She’s in a safe car and she loves it," he added.
© Instagram"Okay, first of all, can you adopt me?" said host Nicole Lapin, before she asked whether Tarek was worried that the car would "spoil" his daughter. "Here’s the truth. She was flying in private jets when she was, like, 1 year old. So this kid has grown up around things. When I grew up, I didn’t have anything, right? So I’m obsessed with things because I never had things. She’s always had things," he replied.
© Getty ImagesHe continued: "She looks at things differently than I do. If she were going to be a spoiled brat, she probably wouldn’t have got the 4.2 GPA, she probably wouldn’t have been MVP of our soccer team, and she probably wouldn’t have done the extra coaching, right? For me, this is a reward for all the work she’s done."
© InstagramTarek revealed that he has also been teaching his daughter about finance, and that she has already invested in stocks and real estate. The star shares daughter Taylor and son Brayden with his ex-wife, Christina. He is also a father to three-year-old son Tristan, whom he shared with Heather.
"What’s more of a surprise... the car for Taylor or the fact that the three of us actually pulled this off? The car is so well deserved, we love you so much Tay," Tarek shared on social media at the time alongside a video.
