LA on fire: Hollywood stars in shock as their homes burn
Hollywood has been rocked as devastating wildfires tear through Los Angeles, with stars losing homes, production grinding to a halt and awards season thrown into disarray.
Here are the celebrities who have been directly affected.
Billy Crystal
The $US9 million home of comedian Billy Crystal, where he has lived with his wife for 46 years, has been destroyed.
“Words cannot describe the enormity of the devastation we are witnessing and experiencing,” Crystal said in a statement. “We ache for our friends and neighbours who have also lost their homes and businesses in this tragedy.”
“Janice and I lived in our home since 1979. We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can’t be taken away. We are heartbroken of course but with the love of our children and friends we will get through this.”
Eugene Levy
Schitt’s Creek creator and star Eugene Levy lost his home in the Pacific Palisades – the neighbourhood which he is also serving as honorary mayor.
Levy told the LA Times he got stuck in traffic while fleeing the area.
“The smoke looked pretty black and intense over Temescal Canyon. I couldn’t see any flames but the smoke was very dark,” he said.
His son, Dan Levy (who co-created and starred in Schitt’s Creek with Eugene), shared an image of the fires on his Instagram Stories early this morning.
“This is the view from my window this morning,” he said, showing a red blaze on the horizon. “Heartbroken for my family, my friends and the people of LA affected by these catastrophic fires.”
Paris Hilton
Reality TV star Paris Hilton shared her heartbreak as she and her family watched their home burn down on live television.
In a post on Instagram, she shared news footage of the destroyed waterfront property.
“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 said. “While the loss is overwhelming, I’m holding onto gratitude that my family is safe … My heart aches for those still in harm’s way or mourning greater losses. The devastation is unimaginable … We’re in this together, LA.”
James Woods
Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor James Woods announced on X that his home had been destroyed, after live-sharing security camera footage that showed flames inching closer to his property.
The 77-year-old Ghosts of Mississippi actor, who more recently served as an executive producer on Oppenheimer, broke down in tears on CNN as he spoke of the loss, which he had earlier likened to losing a loved one.
Woods also criticised California governor Gavin Newsom, LA mayor Karen Bass, and local fire chief Kristin M. Crowley for failing to adequately prepare.
He tweeted a New York Post article which said $17.6 million in funding had been cut from the fire department in the months before the fires, with the caption: “The most important task ahead is not to be bitter, but…”
Ricki Lake
TV host and actress Ricki Lake expressed her grief on Instagram at the loss of her home and “heaven on earth”.
“We never took our heavenly spot on the bluff overlooking our beloved Malibu for granted, not even for one second … This loss is immeasurable. It’s the spot where we got married 3 years ago. I grieve along with all of those suffering during this apocalyptic event,” she said in a post alongside photos of the home with coastal views.
Jamie Lee Curtis
Halloween star Jamie Lee Curtis evacuated her Santa Monica street but has kept her fans and supporters updated via Instagram.
After an anxious wait, Curtis shared her home was safe for now but much of her neighbourhood had been destroyed, including the church in which she got sober 25 years ago.
“So many others have lost everything. Help where you can,” she said.
Adam Brody and Leighton Meester
The famous couple’s $6.5 million property burnt down just days after they celebrated the Nobody Wants This star’s Golden Globe nomination in Beverly Hills. The ocean-view property featured five bedrooms and six bathrooms, Page Six reported. Brody first rose to fame for his role on The O.C. while Meester is best known for portraying Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl.
Diane Warren
Multi-award-winning songwriter Diane Warren confirmed the beach house she had owned for almost 30 years had been lost. The artist, who has written songs for some of the world’s biggest stars and is famous for smash hits such as Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing and Cher’s If I Could Turn Back Time, shared on Instagram the last photo she took from the beach of her home.
“It looks like it was lost in the fire last nite. There’s a rainbow shining on it which I’m taking as a sign of hope for all creatures who have been affected by this tragedy. The animals and the rescue ranch are OK tho which is the most important thing. Stay safe everyone.”
Miles Teller
The wildfires have consumed Top Gun: Maverick and Whiplash star Miles Teller’s $US7.5 million home in the Pacific Palisades.
Anna Faris
Page Six has published photos of the remains of Mom actor Anna Faris’ home in the Palisades. The pictures show the property with a waterless swimming pool, which apparently evaporated when the blaze ran through the house.
Anthony Hopkins
The Silence of the Lambs star has lost his $US6 million home in the Pacific Palisades. Hopkins bought the house with his wife after selling a $US10.5 million beachfront property Malibu in 2020. The Academy Award-winning actor last posted in his home over the festive period, to celebrate his sobriety and play the piano.
John Goodman
TMZ has shared a video showing The Big Lebowski actor John Goodman’s $US4.6 million former home reduced to rubble.
Steve Guttenberg
In the Pacific Palisades, Police Academy actor Steve Guttenberg was spotted leaping into action to help firefighters move abandoned vehicles blocking access to parts of the neighbourhood that were ablaze.
The ’80s film star saw a KTLA news crew reporting on the fires and asked to make a public appeal.
He said traffic had banked up during the evacuation, and the fire got so close people were told to leave their vehicles and get away on foot, but many left with their keys.
“Here on Palisades Drive, if anybody has a car, and they leave their car, leave the keys in the car so that we can move your car so that these fire trucks can get up … There are people stuck up there,” Guttenberg said.
Sarah Michelle Gellar
The Buffy and Scooby-Doo actor slammed the City of LA’s evacuation in an Instagram story. “You want everyone to evacuate yet you have complete gridlock and not one traffic cop on helping,” she wrote.
Maria Shriver
Journalist and author Maria Shriver, formerly married to Arnold Schwarzenegger, shared a video on Instagram that showed what remained of the once-glamorous LA streets: some charred building archways and columns, toppled power poles, and still-smouldering pockets of fire.
“Heartbreaking, devastating, beyond belief. Everything is gone. Our neighbourhood, our restaurants. All our friends have lost everything. We have evacuated, but are safe. But people have lost everything,” The Sunday Paper writer said in the post.
Mark Hamill
Mark Hamill was among those evacuated, leaving his Malibu home. The Star Wars actor said on Instagram he and his family had escaped while small fires burnt on both sides of the road as they fled.
Robbie Williams
Pop superstar Robbie Williams is in Beverly Hills for the opening of his biopic Better Man, which has been cancelled in light of the fires. He posted a message to Instagram on Thursday: “In Los Angeles, waking up to lots of my friends’ houses disappearing and, for whatever it means, I’m just sending loads of love and power and strength and power to the firefighters now who are doing an incredible job,” he said. “Stay safe everybody, and lots of love.”
Robbie Williams sends message of support to firefighters
Musician Robbie Williams is in LA and has posted a video message of support to the Los Angeles firefighters.
Mandy Moore
This Is Us star Mandy Moore has said she “doesn’t know if [her] place made it” after being forced to evacuate her Pasadena neighbourhood.
“My children’s school is gone. Our favourite restaurants, levelled. So many friends and loved ones have lost everything too. Our community is broken but we will be here to rebuild together.
“Sending love to all affected and on the front lines trying to get this under control,” she posted on social media.
The celebs who escaped the Palisades inferno
Celebrities lucky enough to escape the flames have shared on social media accounts just how close their encounters with the fires were.
Stand-up comedian and actor Whitney Cummings posted on her Instagram story that she and her family had safely evacuated.
“You really find out what matters when you can only grab a couple things to evacuate,” one post said.
Princess Bride actor Cary Elwes and his wife, Lisa Marie Kubikoff, uploaded a video of themselves evacuating the fires to his Instagram, before later updating that he has lost his home.
Actor Jennifer Love Hewitt uploaded to her Instagram images of the fires on the side of the road as she fled her home.
“I have no words,” she wrote in the post. “Only prayers and holding as much hope as I can for our home and our kids while we watch everything burn.”
The industry itself
The fires have also disrupted the yearly awards season, which kicked off on Sunday with the Golden Globes.
Voting for Oscar nominations, which began on Wednesday, has been extended two days and the nominee announcements pushed to January 19. Movie screenings and sound, hair and make-up showcases have been scrapped.
The Writers Guild of America Awards nominations have been moved to next week and the Critics Choice Awards, originally scheduled for January 12 in Santa Monica, have been postponed to January 26.
