American actress Jamie Lee Curtis is facing intense criticism for comparing the devastating wildfires currently ravaging the Los Angeles area to the ongoing war in Gaza. A viral video shows the 66-year-old Oscar-winning actress making these remarks during a Q&A session with fellow actress Pamela Anderson about their new drama project, The Last Showgirl.
Curtis, known for her role in Freaky Friday, stated:
“I was born and raised in the City of Angels (Los Angeles). Now, the whole city is on fire everywhere; the entire Pacific Palisades area is gone.”
She added:
“I mean literally, my neighborhood has disappeared. My house is still there tonight, but I live in a different valley. However, the entire Pacific Palisades area now, unfortunately, looks like Gaza or one of those war-torn countries where terrible things have happened.”
Curtis also announced on Friday that she would donate $1 million to Los Angeles relief efforts to combat these wildfires. This is not the first time the actress has called publicly for support; she previously advocated assistance for Ukrainian refugees following the outbreak of conflict in Ukraine.
Backlash Over Curtis’s Gaza Comparison
Criticism has mounted against Jamie Lee Curtis for likening the current LA wildfires to the conflict in Gaza. On social media platform X (formerly Twitter), numerous users condemned the actress for drawing parallels between affluent Los Angeles and war-ravaged Gaza. One user described the comparison as “truly horrific,” while another wrote:
“I live in California, and you’ll never catch me comparing these fires to Gaza. Both are tragedies, but you just can’t equate them.”
Another commenter criticized the shallow way people talk about Gaza, saying:
“It’s as if it wasn’t a real tragedy until images reflected their own gated communities. It’s disgusting.”
A fourth user asked, “Why would she say that?”
Curtis’s Stance on the Gaza War
In October 2023, Jamie Lee Curtis reposted a photograph from Palestinian photojournalist Samar Abu Alouf showing children in a UNRWA school in northern Gaza, looking fearfully at the sky amid ongoing airstrikes near the strip’s borders. Curtis captioned the post “Terror from the skies,” but mistakenly added an Israeli flag—apparently believing these were Israeli children. Once followers pointed out that the photo depicted Palestinian children terrified by Israeli rockets, Curtis deleted the post.
California Wildfires: Enormous Losses
Meanwhile, residents of Los Angeles have returned to their homes—once evacuated because of the raging wildfires—only to find them reduced to charred debris. Authorities report that these fires, among the worst natural disasters in California’s history, have claimed at least 11 lives and fully or partially damaged over 10,000 buildings.
The wildfires have also disrupted daily life in LA, forcing delays or cancellations of cultural and sporting events (including basketball games and awards ceremonies). Some roads were closed, and flights were postponed due to heavy smoke blanketing the skies.
Experts estimate that the destruction caused by this year’s fires—regarded as the most catastrophic on record—will cost $135–$150 billion. Climatologists emphasize that climate change plays a significant role in fueling both the frequency and severity of such natural disasters.
