Mel Gibson, Hunter Biden and Paris Hilton among celebrities to lose homes in California fires
The Palisades fire has burned through over 7000 hectares in one of Los Angeles’ most affluent areas, home to celebrities including John Goodman, Hunter Biden, Paris Hilton and Tom Hanks.
The massive fires which have destroyed entire suburbs in Los Angeles, claiming 11 lives and leaving thousands homeless, have not spared the celebrity set.
Sir Anthony Hopkins, Billy Crystal, Paris Hilton, and Eugene Levy are among the high-profile residents to have lost their homes.
The Palisades fire, which has torn through about 7000 hectares in one of LA’s most affluent areas, is home to celebrities such as Tom Hanks, Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin M. Crowley described the fires as “one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles.”
The entertainment industry, which powers a good deal of the economy in America’s second-largest city, is in limbo.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced an extension of the Oscar nominations voting deadline by two days.
Meanwhile, the Critics Choice Awards, originally set for Sunday in Santa Monica, have been postponed until January 26.
The premiere of Pamela Anderson’s upcoming film The Last Showgirl was scrapped, as was a red-carpet screening of the Robbie Williams biopic Better Man.
Filming of Los Angeles-based shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, Hacks and Jimmy Kimmel Live are on hold.
Joe Biden has signed a federal disaster declaration, enabling funding for temporary housing, home repairs, and low-cost loans for uninsured property losses.
Celebrities who have lost their home in the California wildfires
Billy Crystal
The $US9m home of comedian Billy Crystal, where he has lived with his wife Janice for 46 years, was destroyed in the fires.
“Words cannot describe the enormity of the devastation we are witnessing and experiencing. We ache for our friends and neighbours who have also lost their homes and businesses in this tragedy,” the Crystals said.
“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.
“We pray for the safety of the fire fighters and first responders. The Pacific Palisades is a resilient community of amazing people and we know in time it will rise again. It is our home.”
Sir Anthony Hopkins
The Silence of the Lambs star lost his $US6m home in the Pacific Palisades. Hopkins bought the four-bedroom, five-bathroom home with his wife in 2021, after selling a $US10.5m beachfront property Malibu in 2020. Hopkins shared a video from the home in December, celebrating 20 years of sobriety.
Eugene Levy
Eugene Levy, the Schitt’s Creek creator and star and honorary mayor of the Palisades, also lost his $US3.9m property. His son, Dan, wrote on social media: “Heartbroken for my family, my friends, and the people of LA affected by the catastrophic fires.
“So much gratitude tonight for the firefighters risking their lives and working around the clock to protect this city. Heroes.”
Paris Hilton
Socialite Paris Hilton says she watched her US$8.4m Malibu mansion, where her young son took his first steps, burn to the ground on live television.
“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 an Instagram post. “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 [sic] 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.
“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.”
Mandy Moore
Actress and musician Mandy Moore posted videos of devastated streets in Altadena near Pasadena, where the Eaton fire blazed.
“Honestly, I’m in shock and feeling numb for all so many have lost, including my family,” Moore wrote on Instagram. “Our community is broken, but we will be here to rebuild together.”
Moore shared a bittersweet update about her Altadena home. “Miraculously, the main part of our house is still standing. For now,” Moore wrote on Instagram. While the house is mostly intact, it is currently unliveable.
The family lost a garage, a back house, and a music studio containing every instrument and piece of equipment owned by her husband, Taylor Goldsmith, and bandmate Griffin Goldsmith. “Everyone we know lost everything. Every house on our street is gone,” Moore added, noting that her in-laws and close friends were among those whose homes were completely destroyed.
Milo Ventimiglia
Actor Milo Ventimiglia tells CBS News’ @TonyDokoupil he helplessly watched his home burn to the ground through security cameras. The 47-year-old father-to-be returned to his property to see what was left. pic.twitter.com/jidcR5ZAsY
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) January 10, 2025
Adam Brody and Leighton Meester
Actors Adam Brody and Leighton Meester’s $US6.5m home was destroyed, just days after the couple celebrated Brody’s Golden Globe nomination for Nobody Wants This. The family had a five bedroom, six bathroom home in Pacific Palisades, where they live with their two young children.
Miles Teller
The Pacific Palisades home of Top Gun: Maverick star Miles Teller was consumed by flames. Teller and his wife paid $US7.5m for the home that was built in 2015 and had three storeys, with five bedrooms and seven bathrooms.
John Goodman
Actor John Goodman’s $US4.6m home was reduced to ashes amid the Pacific Palisades wildfires. Images of the property reveal the catastrophic damage: the house entirely levelled, only a blackened swimming pool remaining in the backyard.
Hunter Biden
The $4m rental home shared by Hunter Biden and his wife, Melissa Cohen, has been destroyed by the Pacific Palisades fire, according to photos obtained by the Daily Mail. The property, a 1950s three-bedroom home with panoramic views of the Pacific, was reduced to rubble in the blaze.
President Biden addressed the uncertainty surrounding his son’s home during a Wednesday briefing on the wildfires. “My son lives out here and his wife,” he said. “They got a notification yesterday that their home is probably burned to the ground. Today, it appears that maybe it’s still standing. We’re not sure.”
🚨Hunter Biden’s Malibu home completely destroyed by the fire. pic.twitter.com/M8QnoSS6Yw
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 9, 2025
Anna Faris
Actress Anna Faris has lost her Pacific Palisades home. The 4000-square-foot house, which Faris purchased for close to $US5m in 2019, has been reduced to ashes.
She bought the property after her separation from Jurassic World actor Chris Pratt, following the sale of their Hollywood Hills home in 2018. Faris’ representative confirmed to People that the actress had lost her home, but that she and her family are safe. “Anna and her family are safe and very grateful,” the representative said.
James Woods
James Woods has lost his Pacific Palisades home. Speaking through tears on CNN, the 77-year-old actor, known for roles in Videodrome and Once Upon a Time in America, described the upheaval in his neighbourhood. “One day you’re swimming in the pool and the next day it’s all gone,” Woods said.
He shared a poignant moment when his wife, Sara Miller-Woods, told him that her eight-year-old niece had retrieved her piggy bank, hoping to contribute to rebuilding their home.
Woods also recounted the evacuation, including his efforts to assist his 94-year-old neighbour, who has dementia.
“He’d been left alone,” Woods said. “There was so much chaos, it was like an inferno. Every house was on fire around us.” Reflecting on the loss, Woods added, “I thought I would be stronger than this,” before pausing to wipe his eyes.
Mel Gibson
Mad Max star Mel Gibson’s home is “completely gone”, his publicist Alan Nierob confirmed.
The Oscar revealed the news earlier that day while speaking on Joe Rogan’s podcast. “I would be surprised if my home is still there,” he said during the recording in Rogan’s Austin, Texas, studio.
Gibson shared that his son Milo, a volunteer firefighter, had kept him informed of the escalating crisis. “I asked him, ‘How’s things looking there, Milo?’ He said, ‘Not good, Pops,’” Gibson recalled. “He sent me a video of my neighborhood and it’s in flames. It looks like an inferno.”
He went on to criticise California Governor Gavin Newsom’s response to the wildfires: “I think Newsom said ‘I’m gonna take care of the forest and maintain the forest and do all that kinda stuff’ —he didn’t do anything,” Gibson said. “I think all our tax dollars probably went to Gavin’s hair gel,” he joked.
Tina Knowles
Tina Knowles, mother of pop icons Beyoncé and Solange, shared that her Malibu bungalow was destroyed in the wildfires.
“It was my favourite place, my sanctuary, my sacred happy place. Now it is gone,” Knowles wrote on Instagram, reflecting on the loss.
In her message, she expressed gratitude to “all the brave men and women in our fire department who risked their lives in dangerous conditions.”
The post included a poignant video of the ocean view from her bungalow, recorded just last weekend on her birthday
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