Celebrity
Hollywood Turns on Democrats as Los Angeles Burns
Big Hollywood names have criticised Los Angeles’ Democratic leadership, including Mayor Karen Bass, for the botched response to the wildfires raging in the ritzy, celebrity-filled Pacific Palisades and surrounding areas.
Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar led the charge, criticising Democratic leaders on Instagram for failing to direct the tens of thousands of Southern California residents fleeing as the fires raged unabated Wednesday.
“City of Los Angeles, you want everyone to evacuate, but there is complete gridlock and not a single traffic cop on the road to help,” Gellar wrote, tagging Bass and the city of Los Angeles.
The Palisades Fire has been ravaging the celebrity-studded neighbourhood since Tuesday, burning a terrifying 17,234 acres (27 square miles) in the last 36 hours.
This fire is not from “climate change,” you ignorant asshole. It’s because liberal idiots like you elect liberal idiots like Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass. One doesn’t understand the first thing about fire management and the other can’t fill the water reservoirs. #INSTABLOCK https://t.co/u49lWSmKri
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) January 8, 2025
Actor James Woods, who lost his home in the Palisades Fire, told X that “liberal idiots like Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass” were to blame for the wildfires, not “climate change.”
“One doesn’t understand the first thing about fire management and the other can’t fill the water reservoirs,” according to him.
In a separate post, Woods stated, “I took this last night from our beautiful little home in the Palisades. All of the fire alarms are now going off at the same time, remotely. It tests your soul to lose everything at once, I must admit.”
We pay the highest taxes in Los Angeles California. Our fire hydrants were empty. Our vegetation was overgrown, brush not cleared. Our reservoirs were emptied by our governor because tribal leaders wanted to save fish. Our fire department budget was cut by our mayor. But thank god drug…
— Sara Foster (@saramfoster) January 9, 2025
Actress Sara Foster also spoke out on X, lamenting how Los Angeles residents pay exorbitant taxes while the state remains completely unprepared to deal with such massive Los Angeles wildfires.
“Our fire hydrants were completely empty. Our vegetation was overgrown, and there was no brush clearing. Our governor emptied our reservoirs because tribal leaders wanted to save the fish. The mayor cut the budget for our fire department. But thank God, drug addicts are receiving their drug kits,” she wrote.
The politically active actress, daughter of music mogul David Foster, urged Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom to resign, writing, “Your far-left policies have ruined our state.” “Also our party.”
Former “Dancing with the Stars” professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy also expressed his dissatisfaction with the state’s lack of preparedness, writing on social media Wednesday, “5th largest economy on the planet.
Hey Gav, your own LAFD Chief has openly stated that their budget was cut by nearly $18M. Are you calling her a liar? Because I don’t think she’s lying. I think you are. And always have been. https://t.co/yM98Ig1qwE
— Zachary Levi (@ZacharyLevi) January 12, 2025
Firefighters didn’t have enough water pressure to perform their duties?! Are you kidding me?! The taxes we pay for third-world infrastructure are unbelievable?! “Come on.
Zachary Levi, the star of “Shazam!” and a long-time Los Angeles resident, also criticised Newsom and Bass for how they handled the crisis.
“This is incredible mismanagement and poor leadership. I’d go so far as to say it’s criminally negligent because, for example, Gavin Newsom was either governor for five years or lieutenant governor for eight, nine years before that, and he presided over some of the worst fires Los Angeles California has ever seen.
He clearly understands that the most serious issue facing California is the fires. “And the mudslides that follow,” Levi said on “Jesse Watters Primetime.”
“And for them to do essentially nothing, if not worse than nothing, while firefighter budgets are being cut… there is something almost criminal about this. So, what are they doing? I do not know.”
While some celebrities pointed fingers as the wildfires continued into Thursday, those who lost their homes or were forced to evacuate had more heartbreaking reactions.
Celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, and Anthony Hopkins revealed that they lost their homes in the devastating fires.
Hilton took to social media to share that she watched her beachfront Malibu home burn down on television, while Crystal and his wife, Janice, revealed that their 45-year-old home had burned down.
Reality stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt also lost their homes in the fire, with Pratt later noting on Instagram that the “one positive sign” of the fire was that his son’s bed “burned in the shape of a heart.”
This week, a series of fires ravaged Los Angeles, forcing Hollywood stars and thousands of ordinary California residents to evacuate, with devastating Santa Ana wind gusts reaching 100 miles per hour in the Palisades, Eaton, and surrounding areas.
By Thursday morning, five fires were burning nearly 30,000 acres (47 square miles) in Los Angeles County, three of which were completely out of control.