Sean Penn Reaps Rage by Drawing VERY Controversial Comparison to Devastating L.A. Wildfires
Sean Penn raised ire when he compared the L.A. fires to the situation in the Middle East.
Jan. 14 2025, Published 4:30 p.m. ET
Sean Penn has created an uproar with another controversial statement, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The actor and activist was slammed online after comparing the raging fires in Los Angeles with the conflict in the Middle East.
Penn shocked viewers when he compared the devastation to the war in Gaza.
Penn was a guest on Anderson Cooper 360, where he described what he had been seeing as a resident living in Los Angeles.
The 64-year-old fought back tears throughout the interview, telling host Anderson Cooper his heart goes out to those particularly hard hit in the San Fernando Valley: "We know that there are going to be wildfires in this area ... so people do make a choice living in this area. But for the people living in, in particular, Pacific Palisades and Altadena and so on, this is so unexpected."
With winds continuing to whip in excess of triple digits, fears the fires could spread have reignited.
The Oscar winner added: "When you have the kind of winds that that we had, I don't think mankind has come up with a solution to that is bigger and more powerful than us."
The humanitarian struggled with how to describe the scene.
Penn, a world-renowned humanitarian, seemed to struggle when trying to find something to compare with the sight of thousands of burnt buildings and charred grounds.
"This is kind of been a worst case scenario concern of everyone in the area for a long time," he managed to say.
He eventually settled on a comparison location that puts many instantly on edge.
"It's sort of, you know, it's Gaza west up there," he added, referencing to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Many have said it looks like a bomb went off in Los Angeles.
The comparison was met with instant vitriol online, where social media users were shocked by his connection.
One person tweeted: "What a ridiculous comparison. One is a war zone due to Hamas’ genocidal massacre of Israeli citizens. The other is a natural disaster made worse by inept politicians."
Another agreed: "It's awful what's happened in L.A. but it's not comparable to a war zone and the atrocities seen in Gaza."
A third slammed: "Sean Penn on CNN right now just referred to LA as 'Gaza West' because I guess he wanted to give another reason for why he deserves to be tranquilized and fed to saltwater crocodiles."
Penn previously slammed his own academy for a lack of Oscar diversity.
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Penn is no stranger to speaking his mind – and facing backlash.
Just last month, he blasted the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for "limiting imagination" and "cultural expression" with this year's Oscars nominations.
During his press conference, he told reporters: "The Academy have exercised really extraordinary cowardice when it comes to being part of the bigger world of expression, and in fact, have largely been part of limiting the imagination and very limiting of different cultural expressions.
"So I don't... get very excited about what we'll call the Academy Awards (except for) when a film like The Florida Project, or I'm Still Here, or, you know, Emilia Perez, of the things that are likely to happen this year."
The Mystic River star then set his sights on backlash surrounding the Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice, starring Sebastian Stan as the businessman and Jeremy Strong as his lawyer Roy Cohn.
Penn pushed back on critics, and said: "When something sneaks through, it's to be celebrated. It's jaw-dropping how afraid this business of mavericks is of a great film like that. One with great, great acting.
"(It's amazing) that they too can be as afraid as a piddly little Republican congressman."
