Big Hollywood names have started to turn on Los Angeles’ Democratic leadership, including Mayor Karen Bass, over the botched response to the wildfires raging across the ritzy, celeb-filled Pacific Palisades and surrounding areas.
Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar led the charge, criticizing the Democratic leadership on Instagram for failing to direct the tens of thousands of Southern California residents trying to flee as the fires burned uncontained Wednesday.
“City of LA you want everyone to evacuate yet you have complete gridlock and not one traffic cop on the roads helping,” Gellar wrote, tagging Bass and the city of Los Angeles.
Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar criticized the Democratic leadership on Instagram for failing to direct the tens of thousands of Southern California residents trying to flee. Getty Images for iHeartRadio
Sarah Michelle Gellar criticized Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Instagram.
At least five people have been killed because of the ongoing fires, according to reports. Getty ImagesThe Palisades Fire has been ravaging the celebrity-dotted neighborhood since Tuesday and has burned a horrifying 17,234 acres (27 square miles) over the past 36 hours.
Actor James Woods, who lost his home in the Palisades Fire, vented on X that the wildfires weren’t caused by “climate change” but by “liberal idiots like Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass.”
Stay up to date with the NYP’s coverage of the terrifying LA-area fires
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- Trump anticipates rising death toll in LA wildfires: ‘We’re gonna find many bodies and many more, many more dead’
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The three fires still burning in LA as of Tuesday — Hurst, Palisades and Eaton — and the acreage they have burned. New York Post“One doesn’t understand the first thing about fire management and the other can’t fill the water reservoirs,” he added.
In a separate post, Woods wrote, “I took this last night from our beautiful little home in the Palisades. Now all the fire alarms are going off at once remotely. It tests your soul, losing everything at once, I must say.”
Actor James Woods, who lost his home in the Palisades Fire, vented on X that the wildfires weren’t caused by “climate change.” Alberto E. Rodriguez
Actor James Woods also shared his thoughts on the fires online.
Actress Sara Foster also took to X to lament how Los Angeles residents pay exorbitant taxes but the state was still completely unprepared to take on such massive wildfires.
“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 addicts are getting their drug kits,” she wrote.
The politically active actress, who is the daughter of music mogul David Foster, called on Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom to resign, writing, “your far left policies have ruined our state. And also our party.”
Actress Sara Foster also took to X to lament how Los Angeles residents pay exorbitant taxes but the state was still completely unprepared to take on such massive wildfires. FilmMagic
Actress Sara Foster slammed LA officials for their policies following the fires.
Professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy criticized local officials for not using taxpayer funds to keep the fire hydrants up to code.
Former “Dancing with the Stars” professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy also vented his frustrations over the state’s lack of preparedness, writing on social media Wednesday, “5th largest economy on the planet. Firefighters didn’t have enough water pressure to do their jobs?! Are you joking me?! The taxes we pay for 3rd world infrastructure is unbelievable?! Come on.”
“Shazam!” star and longtime Los Angeles resident Zachary Levi also ripped into Newsom and Bass for their handling of the crisis.
“This is just incredible mismanagement, incredibly poor leadership. I would go so far as to saying that it’s criminally negligent because, I mean, Gavin Newsom has been either the governor for five years or lieutenant governor prior to that for eight, nine years, some of the worst fires we’ve ever had in California under that watch. He clearly knows that the biggest problem that we suffer in California are these fires. And, by the way, the mudslides that follow,” Levi said on “Jesse Watters Primetime”.
“And for them to do essentially not just nothing, but worse than nothing, when firefighter budgets are being cut . . .There is something that’s almost criminally intentional about this. Like, what are they doing? I don’t know.”
While some celebrities pointed fingers as the wildfires roared on into Thursday, others who lost their homes or were forced to evacuate shared more heartbroken reactions.
Celebrities including Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, and Anthony Hopkins shared that they lost their homes in the devastating fires.
Former “Dancing with the Stars” professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy also vented his frustrations over the state’s lack of preparedness. Getty Images
Paris Hilton has shared that she lost her home because of the ongoing LA fires. Getty ImagesHilton took to social media to share that she watched her beachfront Malibu home burn down on television, while Crystal and his wife, Janice, shared that their home of 45 years had burned down.
Reality stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt shared that they also lost their home due to the blaze, 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.”
By Thursday morning, five fires were burning nearly 30,000 acres (47 square miles) in Los Angeles County. AP
The Palisades Fire alone has burned more than 17,000 acres (26.5 square miles) and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate. AFP via Getty Images
Businesses in Palisades Village are a total loss, devastated by the Palisades fire on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesHollywood stars and thousands of everyday California residents were forced to evacuate this week as a series of fires ravaged Los Angeles, with devastating Santa Ana wind gusts topping 100 miles per hour in the Palisades, Eaton, and surrounding regions.
By Thursday morning, five fires — three of which were completely uncontained — were burning nearly 30,000 acres (47 square miles) in Los Angeles County.
Reality stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt shared that they also lost their home due to the fire. TikTok/@heidimontag
Billy Crystal also took to social media to share that he lost his home during the fire. Getty Images
Five fires were burning nearly 30,000 acres in Los Angeles County by Thursday morning. APThe Palisades Fire alone has burned more than 17,000 acres (26.5 square miles) and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate.
At least five people have died from the raging wildfires, officials said.
With Post wires






