Calvin Klein’s former boy toy is accused of being one hell of a drug-dealing roommate

Fashion icon Calvin Klein’s “toy” ex-boyfriend has been accused of being a drug-dealing roommate from hell.

Nick Gruber made tabloid headlines more than a decade ago during his two-year relationship with Klein, but admitted the breakdown of the high-profile tryst left him “chasing the spotlight” and “plagued” with drugs.

Its Parkinson’s disease-stricken owner, Richard Jones, told ABC7 the problems began during the pandemic when he and his husband, Alfonso Monreal, rented a room to help them pay the bills and were introduced to Gruber.

They said that while Gruber seemed “nice” and “polite” at first, they soon realized he was a drug dealer, leading to a years-long legal saga that left Jones devastated and heartbroken.

Gruber dated Klein for two years starting in 2010, and it was the fashion legend’s first openly gay relationship. Their tryst was frequently documented in the media, not least because of their 48-year age difference.

He worked as a model for a time, but admitted that after the relationship ended he continued to “chase the spotlight” of fame, which led to a party lifestyle that included several arrests, including assault with a frying pan and drug theft.

“You know, after the breakup, drugs kind of followed me around and haunted me for years. I had to deal with it,” Gruber recalled.

In 2021, Jones met Gruber through friends at the same time he was renting a room in his Santa Rosa home, and the former “boytoy” moved in shortly thereafter.

But Jones said his sleepy neighborhood was soon filled with cars and men arriving at his house at all hours of the night.

Neighbors told ABC7 they suspected the strange activity was drug-related, but had no proof until police were called in 2021 over a dispute between a homeowner and a tenant.

While the exact nature of the dispute is unclear, Santa Rosa police determined that Gruber was on probation from a previous drug arrest, which meant they were able to conduct a search of his property without a warrant.

In part of Gruber’s home, officers found a locked safe containing a semi-automatic firearm, nine pounds of methamphetamine and $10,000 in cash. Santa Rosa Police Sgt. – said Patricia Seffens.

Gruber insists he was not a drug dealer, but admits he was a “middleman” in the “pharmaceutical industry.”

“I will just call the customer and then contact the person who is the supplier and arrange the transaction,” he said.

Gruber was arrested after the search and charged with possession with intent to sell a controlled substance in an amount greater than methamphetamine, possession of a firearm by a felon, identity theft and forgery.

He served two years in prison for these crimes, but his release only brought more trouble for Jones and Monreal.

After Gruber was released in 2023, the former model found the couple in their new home in Oakland, California and demanded that Jones return all the belongings he left behind bars.

Gruber, speaking to ABC7 this week, insisted that as his owners, the couple had a “duty and obligation to protect my property.”

Jones responded that he followed his attorney’s advice by sending Gruber an eviction notice and a letter warning him that he would get rid of his property if it was not collected.

“I waited for him to show up, six months, and he didn’t show up,” he said, adding that he then donated Gruber’s belongings to the Mormon Church.

Gruber claims the items included a number of luxury items, including two Prada suits valued at $10,000, a Rolex watch and a custom Calvin Klein desk worth more than $10,000.

After hearing that the items had been transferred, Gruber initiated a lawsuit against Jones for $182,000 to cover the value of the items and another $233,000 in damages.

When Gruber couldn’t produce receipts for the lavish purchases, the judge rejected his claims but still ruled in Gruber’s favor and held Jones liable for $8,683.

Now facing the bill, Jones said he was broke and unable to pay it, and that the stress of the clash with Gruber had worsened his Parkinson’s symptoms.

“I’m very emotional because it affects me so much that I still have to fight and bring back memories of what I went through,” Jones said through tears.

Gruber admitted he was sorry for his role in the sad ending to the saga, saying, “I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart… I mean, it shouldn’t have ended like that, otherwise it shouldn’t have happened in the first place.”

He said he has been clean and sober for over three years and added that he now plans to write a book that will tell all about the time he spent in Klein’s immediate circle.