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‘Ruined’: Joe Rogan lashes California Governor over LA fires

The podcaster and his guest Mel Gibson have laid into the state’s governor Gavin Newsom over claims he failed to protect LA.

Celebrities turn on Los Angeles politicians as homes burn

Podcaster Joe Rogan has claimed California Governor Gavin Newsom “personally ruined” the state after failing to prevent the horrific fires besieging Los Angeles.

In a new episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, released on Friday, Rogan and actor Mel Gibson savaged the Democratic Party’s Mr Newsom who has also been lashed by Donald Trump this week.

“They spent $24 billion last year on the homeless, and what did they spend on preventing these wildfires?” Rogan said, to which Australian-raised Gibson replied “zero”.

Wildfires tear through Los Angeles suburbs

“In 2019, Newsom said he would take care of the forest, maintain the forest and do all that kind of stuff,” the Braveheart star replied. “And he didn’t do anything.”

Rogan, the host of the world’s biggest podcast, went on to claim that on top of not funding fire prevention “they cut the water off” – referencing a shortage of supply in fire hydrants across LA.

Joe Rogan has lashed California’s Governor. Picture: X/The Joe Rogan Experience
Joe Rogan has lashed California’s Governor. Picture: X/The Joe Rogan Experience

MORE: Celeb homes destroyed in LA fires revealed

“I think all our tax dollars probably went for Gavin’s hair gel,” Gibson, 69, joked.

“I dunno but it’s sad, this place is just on fire.”

Bushfires across LA have claimed at least five lives and forced 180,000 to evacuate as at least five separate fires burn.

One of the blazes has effectively wiped the affluent Pacific Palisades district, home to celebrities and iconic movie locations, off the map.

Actor Mel Gibson was this week’s guest. Picture: X/The Joe Rogan Experience
Actor Mel Gibson was this week’s guest. Picture: X/The Joe Rogan Experience

Incoming US president Mr Trump has taken to labelling California’s Governor “Gavin Newscum” and saying he should resign over there being a lack of water supply to fight the devastating wild fires.

Mr Newsom dismissed the remarks in an emotional interview with CNN from the fire zone overnight, saying “one can’t even respond to it”.

“People are literally fleeing, people have lost their lives, kids lost their schools,” he said.

“Families completely torn asunder. Churches burned down.

“This guy wanted to politicise it. I have a lot of thoughts and I know what I want to say – I won’t.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom (right) tours the downtown business district of Pacific Palisades on Wednesday. Picture: Eric Thayer/Getty Images/AFP
California Governor Gavin Newsom (right) tours the downtown business district of Pacific Palisades on Wednesday. Picture: Eric Thayer/Getty Images/AFP
A home burns during the Palisades Fire in California this week. Picture: Agustin Paulier/AFP
A home burns during the Palisades Fire in California this week. Picture: Agustin Paulier/AFP

On his podcast, Rogan – who endorsed Mr Trump before November’s election – said “the whole state is so poorly managed, and he (Mr Newsom) gets on TV and pretends everything is great”.

“You’re out of your mind, dude,” he said. “You’ve personally ruined this state.”

Gibson agreed: “Well, it’s the same team that was up in San Francisco, and they came down to LA and are doing what they did in San Francisco.

“San Francisco’s kind of like apocalyptic now … it’s a mess.”

A Bank of America fully engulfed in flames along Lake Ave. during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area. Picture: Josh Edelson/AFP
A Bank of America fully engulfed in flames along Lake Ave. during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area. Picture: Josh Edelson/AFP

The commentary comes a few days after an eerie clip of Rogan revealing a conversation he had with a fireman six months before Los Angeles went up in flames resurfaced on social media.

Speaking to comedian Sam Morril in July, Rogan recounted being evacuated from his former LA home three times due to wildfires.

“I talked to a fireman once … he was telling me, ‘One day, it’s going to be the right wind and fire is going to start in the right place and it’s going to burn through LA all the way to the ocean and there’s not a f***ing thing we can do about it,’” he said.

“I go, ‘Really?’ He goes, ‘Yeah, we just get lucky with the wind.’

“These fires are so big, you’re talking about thousands of acres burning simultaneously with 40mph winds … Once it happens it’s so spread out that there’s nothing they can do.”

Originally published as ‘Ruined’: Joe Rogan lashes California Governor over LA fires

Original URL: https://www.thechronicle.com.au/technology/environment/ruined-joe-rogan-lashes-california-governor-over-la-fires/news-story/88a880a9e020906e9be811414b754c08