As wildfires ravage Los Angeles County, leaving thousands displaced and iconic neighborhoods in ruins, Hollywood celebrities have turned their ire toward Democratic leaders, particularly Mayor Karen Bass. The criticism comes as residents, including numerous high-profile figures, grapple with chaos, gridlocked evacuations, and what they see as a failure of leadership during the escalating disaster.
Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar took to Instagram to vent her frustration, calling out the city's lack of preparation. "City of LA, you want everyone to evacuate, yet you have complete gridlock and not one traffic cop on the roads helping," she wrote, tagging Mayor Bass and the city.
The Palisades Fire, which ignited earlier this week, has scorched over 17,000 acres and remains one of the most destructive in the region's history. Fueled by fierce Santa Ana winds that topped 100 mph, the fire has destroyed homes, including those of celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, and James Woods.
Woods, who lost his Palisades home, did not hold back in his criticism of state and local leaders. "The wildfires weren't caused by climate change but by liberal idiots like Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "One doesn't understand the first thing about fire management, and the other can't fill the water reservoirs."
Woods shared a poignant post about losing his home: "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."
Actress Sara Foster echoed similar frustrations, targeting both Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom in a scathing post. "We pay the highest taxes in 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," she wrote on X. "@MayorOfLA @GavinNewsom RESIGN. Your far-left policies have ruined our state. And also our party."
The frustration was not limited to actors. Valentin Chmerkovskiy, a professional dancer from Dancing with the Stars, lambasted the lack of water pressure available to firefighters. "5th largest economy on the planet, and firefighters didn't have enough water pressure to do their jobs?! Are you joking me?! The taxes we pay for third-world infrastructure are unbelievable!" he wrote.
Amid the growing backlash, Mayor Bass returned from a diplomatic trip to Ghana on Wednesday, facing intense scrutiny from reporters. Sky News journalist David Blevins confronted her upon her arrival. "Do you owe citizens an apology for being absent while their homes were burning, and do you regret cutting the Fire Department budget by millions of dollars, madame mayor?" Bass declined to respond, walking past the cameras.
The criticism comes as firefighters continue to battle five major fires across Los Angeles County, three of which remain completely uncontained. The wildfires have burned nearly 30,000 acres and claimed at least five lives, with tens of thousands forced to evacuate.
Celebrity fitness trainer Jillian Michaels joined the chorus of discontent, highlighting budget cuts and dry fire hydrants. "The mayor is apparently in Ghana," she wrote on social media. "The fire departments budget was apparently cut by 17 mil. And someone made the decision to not refill some of the reservoirs - now some fire hydrants are dry. Leadership in California is beyond negligent. This is completely unacceptable."
The fires have disproportionately impacted affluent neighborhoods, including Pacific Palisades and Malibu, areas known for their celebrity residents. Paris Hilton shared on social media that she watched her Malibu home burn down on live television, while Billy Crystal mourned the loss of his 45-year-old family home.
As the flames continued to spread Thursday, the devastation spurred broader questions about California's infrastructure and preparedness. Critics argue that despite being the fifth-largest economy in the world, the state appears woefully unprepared for recurrent wildfire seasons exacerbated by climate change and mismanagement.
While some celebrities focused on voicing their anger, others shared heartbroken reactions. Reality stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt revealed they lost their home in the fire, with Pratt sharing a poignant image of his son's charred bed shaped like a heart.
