How Is Hollywood Impacted by the L.A. Wildfires?

Photo: Etienne Laurent/AP

Two people have died and 1,000 buildings have been destroyed in the three wildfires that began burning across Los Angeles County on January 7. The Palisades fire started around 10:30 a.m. near the coast, but by that evening, a second blaze, the Eaton fire, broke out near Pasadena. Overnight, a smaller wildfire ignited in the San Fernando Valley, named the Hurst fire. Celebrities are among the hundreds of thousands of residents who have had to evacuate for their own safety as the governor called a state of emergency. Premieres, events, and film and TV productions are being canceled across the city. Below, live updates from Hollywood.

Diane Warren shared the last photo she took from her beach house on her Instagram grid, in which she paid homage to her late friend, with that her Malibu home was lost in the fire last night. “I’ve had this house for almost 30 years,” she wrote. The songwriter has two Malibu-based properties: her beachfront home and her nearby rescue ranch that houses an assortment of misfit animals. She confirmed in the post that her rescue ranch and the critters who live there are safe, “which is the most important thing.”

The Critics Choice Awards, which were originally scheduled for January 12, have been rescheduled to January 26. “This unfolding tragedy has already had a profound impact on our community,” CCA CEO Joey Berlin said in a statement. “All our thoughts and prayers are with those battling the devastating fires and with all who have been affected.” They will still be broadcast live.

From the wildfires or the paparazzi. Not to let a fire get in the way of a scoop, paps snapped Ben Affleck evacuating his home on January 7. Where was he heading? None other than his ex Jennifer Garner’s house, per TMZ, where his children were also staying. “Page Six” said Affleck “seemed worried” as he drove his black SUV to Garner’s place, in an area currently on standby. Or, you know, maybe he was annoyed that he still had to deal with paparazzi during a destructive fire.

They reportedly lost their Palisades mansion, per TMZ, just days after married actors Adam Brody and Leighton Meester attended the Golden Globes, where he was nominated for his show Nobody Wants This.

Numerous scripted and late-night programs that were scheduled to film today have suspended production in the Los Angeles area. Shows on pause for Wednesday include Grey’s Anatomy, Doctor Odyssey, NCIS, and NCIS: Origins. On the Universal Studios lot, filming for Hacks, Suits LA, Happy’s Place, Ted, and Loot has shut down for the day, and the adjoining theme park is closed to guests. Additionally, Jimmy Kimmel Live and After Midnight have suspended today’s episode tapings.

The Universal Studios theme park — located a little north of the Hollywood Bowl, practically equidistant from all three fires — will not be operating today due to the circumstances. “We will continue to assess the situation and expect to open for business tomorrow,” the website reads. Meanwhile, the Disneyland Resort area, which includes the big Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, still appears to be open for visitors at this time.

The Hills stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag are among the celebrities to lose their Pacific Palisades house in the fires, per TMZ. As shown in Pratt’s Instagram Stories, the house burned to the ground, but their entire family was evacuated to safety.

On the same day that the film scored double SAG nominations for Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis, The Last Showgirl’s premiere was canceled, per Variety.

The SAG Award nominations were intended to be broadcast live, read by Cooper Koch and Joey King, at 10:30 a.m. on January 8, but they ended up going out in a press release instead.

Actor James Woods is also evacuating, and he’s documenting his experience on X. “To all the wonderful people who’ve reached out to us, thank you for being so concerned. Just letting you know that we were able to evacuate successfully,” he posted on January 7. “I do not know at this moment if our home is still standing, but sadly houses on our little street are not.” He also posted, on January 8, that he does not believe that the fires are due to climate change, preferring to blame “liberal idiots like Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass.”

Eugene Levy told the Los Angeles Times that he got stuck in traffic during his evacuation. “The smoke looked pretty black and intense over Temescal Canyon,” the actor and comedian, who is currently the honorary mayor of the Pacific Palisades, said. “I couldn’t see any flames, but the smoke was very dark.”

Actor Steve Guttenberg hopped onto the front line of the fire on January 7 to tell a local news crew that people need to move their cars to aid with evacuation. “It’s really important for people to help each other,” he added. “It’s really important for everybody to band together. And don’t worry about your personal property … just get your loved ones and get out.”

How Is Hollywood Impacted by the L.A. Wildfires?