Spoilers for Elsbeth Season 3, Episode 7 – “And Then There Were Nuns” – are ahead! You can stream the episode with a Paramount+ subscription.
Last week’s episode of Elsbeth took a holy turn, as a murder mystery unfolded after a pop star tried to buy a convent. Now, that story, while wild, might actually sound familiar to you. That’s because, a decade ago, Katy Perry wound up in a real estate deal gone wrong after she tried to buy a convent. So, it makes sense that people are connecting this episode of the popular CBS mystery to the singer’s debacle with the Catholic church.
What Happened On Elsbeth That Got People Talking About Katy Perry
Now, the episode of Elsbeth that aired on the 2025 TV schedule on November 22 featured a pop star character who was seemingly inspired by many of the biggest women in pop music. Meanwhile, the mystery itself seems to draw a distinct parallel to a real estate fiasco Katy Perry was in back in 2015.
In this episode of Elsbeth titled “And Then There Were Nuns,” Mother Constance (Dianne Wiest) learns that her convent is being sold to the pop star Alaïa Jade (Lindsey Normington). So, the nun decides to kill the singer by getting her up to the top of the bell tower and making sure she gets hit by the bell and knocked off the building.
Other elements of this episode show which pop stars Alaïa was inspired by, like Taylor Swift, Madonna and Kesha. Plus, her evil producer, Shane Sills (Ben Chase), had the energy of folks like Scott Borchetta, who was infamously involved in the sale of Taylor Swift’s masters.
However, the whole reason why this story involves nuns seems to be tied to a crazy situation Katy Perry was part of years ago, so let’s break that down.
What Actually Happened With Katy Perry, The Catholic Church And A Bad Real Estate Deal
This year, Katy Perry has been in the news for myriad reasons. She went to space, and she and her longtime partner, Orlando Bloom, broke up. However, Elsbeth brought a different story of her’s back into the headlines as it seemed to pull inspiration from 2015.
A decade ago, the “Firework” singer tried to buy a former convent in Los Angeles. The Sisters of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary lived there from 1970 to 2011, per the New York Times, and the complex was built in 1927.
Then, in 2015, Archbishop Jose Gomez agreed to sell the property to Katy Perry for $14.5 million, per NPR. Meanwhile, the sisters tried to sell it to restaurateur Dana Hollister. That proposal included Hollister paying $15.5 million, and it happened before the pop star’s sale was done.
The sisters were concerned they wouldn’t profit from the deal with the “Roar” singer, and ultimately, this all led to a big legal battle. In July of 2015, Perry and Gomez sued Hollister, and a judge didn’t let her deal go through. So, that invalidated Hollister’s plan, and the pop star went on with hers. However, the fight continued in court.
In 2017, the archdiocese ordered Hollister to pay the attorney fees. She declared bankruptcy, and then, as she went to bankruptcy court in 2018, Sister Catherine Rose Holzman – who was loud about her disapproval of Perry buying the former convent – died during the court proceeding.
According to AD, it’s unknown who owns the property now.
So, that story from that started a decade ago is quite wild, and as you can see, Elsbeth’s story seems inspired by it. Now, to go back and watch the episode that was seemingly tied to this real estate deal between Katy Perry and the Catholic Church, you can stream it on Paramount+.
Then, make sure to catch new episodes of Elsbeth as they air every Thursday at 10 p.m. on CBS.
