Devastating Celeb Reactions To The CA Wildfires That Will Break Your Heart

The California fires that have devastated multiple communities began on January 7, 2025, in Pacific Palisades. Due to all the wrong conditions — dry weather, heavy winds — the flames began a destructive path that would eventually take the lives of more than 25 people, render acres of land barren, and turn thousands of homes into ash.

While there was time for people to evacuate, there was little time to defend the schools, businesses, and residences that stood in the path of the fire. As the flames moved on to other areas (some still burning two weeks later), people were able to see what was left behind — for some, it was nothing.

With Los Angeles and the surrounding areas being at the heart of the entertainment industry, many of the homes destroyed belonged to people who you've seen on your television screen and at the movie theaters. The list is long, with stars like Joshua Jackson, Billy Crystal, Adam Brody and Leighton Meester, Eugene Levy and his daughter Sarah Levy, Anthony Hopkins, Jeff Bridges, and Beyoncé's mom Tina Knowles, all losing their homes — and many others, as well ...

When the fictional Pearson family home caught on fire in a 2018 episode of "This Is Us," Jack and his family watched their lives go up in flames. At the time, Jack's portrayer, actor Milo Ventimiglia, spoke to Variety about what it was like to watch the fire, and commented it was something, "I hope many, many people never have to face." Seven years later, he would do just that. The star's home in Malibu was destroyed by the fire.

When Ventimiglia went back to see the burned remnants of his house, he got emotional. "You start thinking about all the memories in the different parts of the house, and then you see your neighbor's houses ... your heart just breaks," he shared with CBS Evening News. The "Gilmore Girls" actor watched his home catch on fire via a security camera, but couldn't watch past the initial flames. 

Ventimiglia was reminded of his acting life when he had to watch the Pearsons lose their home. "It's not lost on me, life imitating art," he confessed. To make things even more difficult, the actor and his wife Jarah Mariano were expecting a new baby, the due date just days away. He relayed the nursery had already been set up and awaiting the arrival of their new child. But with his family all safe, he simply vowed about all the rest, "We'll make do."

The Hallmark actor who stole your heart in the "Murder She Baked" series of movies has had his own heart stolen by the California fires — his home in Altadena for over 12 years was reduced to rubble and ash. Posting a video on Instagram, he shared, "We are safe. But this is what's left of our beautiful home. Our home where our kids were raised and where they wanted to raise their own someday."

His future grandchildren won't get to have the same experience as the actor's own kids, and they also won't get to see all of the family's tangible memories. As Mathison shared with Good Morning America, "There are a lot of things that are replaceable, but the kids' projects, their baby photos that were only filmed, my own childhood photos, there's just so much.

The actor, who was recently seen in the Great American Family holiday movie "Jingle Bells, Wedding Bells" in 2024, has also spent a great deal of his acting career in the world of daytime drama, starring in both "All My Children" and General Hospital." Upon seeing the video of his burned house, fellow soap stars Eva LaRue, Tamara Braun, and Barbara Niven shared their sympathies and support. Hallmark stars Danica McKellar, Merritt Patterson, Bethany Joy Lenz, and Brooke D'Orsay reached out, too. Lacey Chabert penned a heartfelt note on Instagram, "So glad you're safe, but just heartbroken for you and everyone affected. I'm so sorry. Praying and sending you guys all our love."

The simple life has just gotten more complicated for Paris Hilton, whose home was completely destroyed in the California fires. She and her husband, Carter Reum, purchased their Malibu residence just months before they exchanged vows in 2021, with the intention of settling down and raising their family in the beach house. "I'm standing here in what used to be our home, and the heartbreak is truly indescribable," she wrote in an Instagram post that showed video of the devastation. "This house wasn't just a place to live — it was where we dreamed, laughed, and created the most beautiful memories as a family."

Hilton and Reum have two children together, whom they choose to have through surrogacy. They welcomed son Phoenix Barron in January 2021 followed by his sister London Merilyn in November 2023. After the birth of their first child, and when they were working on baby number two, they moved from their Malibu home to a larger one in April 2023, keeping the Malibu home as a second residence.

Though she had a personal tale in the wake of the fires, she also acknowledged that she wasn't alone in her tragedy. "What breaks my heart even more is knowing that this isn't just my story. So many people have lost everything," she wrote. She thanked the firefighters and everyone else who has helped during the fires and also offered encouragement and hope for the area she has called home for years. "We're in this together. We will rebuild, we will heal, and we will rise stronger than before," she wrote.

Nobody puts baby in a corner, and, in a horrible twist of fate, Jennifer Grey no longer even has a corner to avoid. The actor, who famously starred in the movie "Dirty Dancing" (a feminist film in her opinion), lost her California home in the devastating string of fires that hit the state in January 2025. Grey shared a photo on Instagram of her destroyed house, writing about how she was trying to process the loss. "I am trying to allow myself to feel the waves of shock, the startling grief, the sudden unavoidable news now that I never wanted," she wrote. 

After her divorce from actor Clark Gregg in 2021, Grey remained living in the house she once shared with her ex-husband. It's the same home where the two raised their daughter Stella Gregg, who also shared her sorrow over losing the family home, thanking her mother on Instagram for the "beautiful memories." Gregg himself posted a photo of the fire and just one word, "Speechless."

Fellow actor Megan Park, who starred in the 2006 movie "The Road to Christmas" with Grey, shared her support of Grey, understanding what the loss of the home meant to her co-star and friend. "I love you," she penned in the comments. "And I loved that magical view and how happy you were there." 

Sisters Zooey Deschanel (she of "New Girl" fame) and Emily Deschanel (you know her best from "Bones") grew up in the Pacific Palisades, in a home built in the 1920s. In a post on Instagram, Zooey shared a photo of the house in all its glory, as well as one of the burned-out shell that it became after the California fires reached it. "The family photos that lined the hallways, the artwork, the piano I learned to play on, the wedding china, the furniture my great, great grandfather built ... the reminders of generations past: All have vanished into thin air."

While both the Deschanel sisters have long since moved out of their childhood home, their parents were still living there when the fire hit. Caleb Deschanel is a lauded cinematographer who has six Oscar nominations under his belt, and has worked on films like "The Passion of Christ," "Jack Reacher," and "The Lion King." The sisters' mom is actor Mary Jo Deschanel, who can be seen in "The Patriot" and "The Right Stuff," among other productions. 

Zooey posted about the family's loss on January 17 — which also happens to be the star's birthday. As she admitted she didn't quite feel up to celebrating, she suggested getting in touch with someone who lost their home and volunteering or donating if possible. On behalf of her family (Emily isn't active on social media), she offered her own thanks to friends. "Your kindness is the salve that has made this bearable," she wrote.