'Completely Atrocious': Jamie Lee Curtis Ridiculed for Comparing the Los Angeles Wildfires to Gaza During Recent Q&A
Jamie Lee Curtis compared the L.A. wildfires to Gaza.
Jan. 11 2025, Published 11:25 a.m. ET
Jamie Lee Curtis was heavily criticized for likening the deadly wildfires currently ravaging the Los Angeles area to the ongoing war in Gaza.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the 66-year-old Academy Award-winning actress has stirred social media after making the comparison during a recent Q&A for her new film The Last Showgirl.
Jamie Lee Curtis was promoting her new film.
The Everything Everywhere All at Once star told an audience full of fans and press: "I am born and raised in the City of Angels. And the entire City of Angels is on fire, everywhere. The entire city of the Pacific Palisades is gone.
"I mean literally my neighborhood – gone. My house tonight is still there but I live in a different canyon. But the entire Pacific Palisades looks like, unfortunately, Gaza, or one of these war-torn countries where awful things have happened.
"And there are now fires breaking out everywhere. So it feels totally bizarre to be talking about a movie, and yet it's a piece of art, and art will save us no matter what."
Curtis also announced she made a $1 million donation towards relief funds to support Los Angeles amid the destructive blazes.
Several people flooded social media to criticize the Hollywood actress for comparing the wealthy L.A. area to war-torn Gaza.
One critic took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share: "I live in California, and you would never find me comparing these fires to Gaza … both tragedies but not comparable AT ALL."
Another X user commented: The flippant way people talk about Gaza. As if it wasn't a real tragedy until those scenes started being reflected in their gated communities. It's gross."
A third person asked: "Why would she say that? This is a completely atrocious comparison."
Over 37,000 acers have burnt down in Los Angeles.
Some were more understanding of what the Halloween actress was trying to say.
One person argued: "I see what Jamie Lee Curtis is saying, and honestly, I kind of get it, the fires are devastating, and sometimes you need a big comparison to really drive the point home. Sure, mentioning Gaza might stir some debate, but I think her heart's in the right place, she's just trying to get people to realize how bad things really are."
However, another X user referenced Curtis's 2023 Instagram mishap, in which she mistakenly posted a photo of Gazan children fleeing launched missiles to express her support of Israeli victims, asking: "Wasn't she the same person who posted a picture of Gazan children ducking in fear of bombs and captioned it 'Israeli children' then deleted it when she realized they were Palestinian?"
At the time, Curtis addressed her mistake, saying: "I took down the post when I realized my error."
153,000 people were ordered to evacuate their homes.
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Five devastating wind-fed fires have killed at least 11 people and swept through 37,900 acres in the greater Los Angeles area, destroying entire communities and more than 12,000 structures.
At least 153,000 L.A. residents were ordered to evacuate from their homes for their own safety.
Los Angeles County officially declared a public health emergency, warning that smoke and particulate matter could pose immediate and long-term threats.
