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This week, out-of-control fires in Southern California claimed the homes of thousands of residents, and celebrities are facing the harrowing devastation, too.
For the past few days, the entertainment industry has braced itself for the fallout from the fires during a busy time of year. Numerous Los Angeles premieres, television productions and Hollywood events this month have either been canceled or delayed — including the 2025 Oscar nominations and Critics’ Choice Awards. Meanwhile, stars took cover after they and other LA residents fled their homes, many of which have been destroyed in what Bloomberg reported is one of Los Angeles’ worst natural disasters in decades.
Several celebrities have spoken out about the destruction, including Paris Hilton, who told her Instagram followers on Wednesday she was “heartbroken beyond words” after losing her home to the flames.
“Sitting with my family, watching the news, and seeing our home in Malibu burn to the ground on live TV is something no one should ever have to experience,” she wrote in a caption alongside a news clip of the wreckage.
Hilton continued: “My heart and prayers are going out to every family affected by these fires. To all the people who have lost their homes, their memories, and their beloved pets. My heartaches for those still in harm’s way or mourning greater losses. The devastation is unimaginable. To know so many are waking up today without the place they called home is truly heartbreaking.💔.”
She joins many other celebrities who have been directly impacted by the ongoing fires, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Affleck, Mandy Moore, Chrissy Teigen, Jhené Aiko, Billy Crystal, Ricki Lake, Milo Ventimiglia, and more.
Amid the disaster, celebrities like Curtis have still offered support and resources to others uprooted from their neighborhoods. The “Freakier Friday” actor shared that her family is donating $1 million to relief efforts. “Hacks” star Jean Smart, meanwhile, suggested an idea that could further aid victims of the Los Angeles fires, calling on forthcoming award shows and TV networks to do their part.
“ATTENTION! With ALL due respect, during Hollywood’s season of celebration, I hope any of the networks televising the upcoming awards will seriously consider NOT televising them and donating the revenue they would have garnered to victims of the fires and the firefighters,” Smart urged in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
These gestures fared better with the public than one Los Angeles-based real estate investor who went viral for offering to “pay any amount” to “access to private firefighters” to save his home; meanwhile, over 7,500 firefighting and emergency personnel are working to quell the unprecedented fires spreading across Southern California.
It wouldn’t be the first time controversy has erupted over the country’s one percent having access to more resources (like private firefighting) than others at a time when everyone desperately needs them. But so far, it seems people — including high-profile figures — are putting class differences aside to come together as the Los Angeles fires rage on.
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Solidarity has been a bright spot amid the widespread devastation, and a comfort to those who will soon have to rebuild everything they’ve lost. Local news outlets continue to report on uncontained fires, so there’s no telling how long the recovery process could take. However, residents all over Southern California are finding hope through community, if only for a fleeting moment.
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