Braveheart star Mel Gibson has revealed his home was destroyed in the Los Angeles wildfires that are currently raging – while he was recording a podcast interview with Joe Rogan.
The actor and director, 69, said the heartbreaking loss of his property was “emotional” and “devastating”, but he attempted to remain upbeat as he said his family were “happy and healthy and out of harm’s way”.
Appearing on NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas Reports, Gibson said he returned from Austin, Texas, after recording The Joe Rogan Experience to find his Malibu home was “completely toasted”.
“I was doing the Rogan podcast, I was kind of ill at ease while we were talking because I knew my neighbourhood was on fire, so I thought ‘I wonder if my place is still there’, but when I got home, sure enough, it wasn’t there,” he said.
“I’ve never seen such a complete burn, it is obviously devastating, it’s emotional.
“You live there for a long time, and you had all your stuff. I lived there for about 14, 15 years so it was home to me.
“I had a lot of personal things there that I can’t get back – everything from photographs to files to just personal things that I had from over the years.
“That can all be replaced. These are only things. And the good news is that those in my family and those I love are all well, and we’re all happy and healthy and out of harm’s way.”
During the podcast interview, Gibson expressed frustration at the city’s response to the wildfires which has seen criticism aimed at governor of California Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass.
Gibson said Mr Newsom “didn’t do anything” to help address underlying environmental issues which have remained a problem in southern California for many years.
“I think Newsom said ‘I’m going to take care of the forest and maintain the forest and do all that kind of stuff’ — he didn’t do anything,” the Braveheart star told Rogan.
“I think all our tax dollars probably went for Gavin’s hair gel,” Gibson joked.
“It’s sad, the place is just on fire.”
Gibson won the Oscar for best director and best picture in 1996 for Braveheart, the action film where he starred as Scottish rebel, William Wallace, who sets out to battle King Edward I of England.
So far, five people have been killed in the devastating fires according to officials, with over 1000 homes destroyed and 70,000 people evacuated.
It’s been reported water shortages and intense winds have made it virtually impossible to even begin to contain the spreading fires. Homes owned by the likes of Paris Hilton, Eugene Levy, Mandy Moore, Harrison Ford and Billy Crystal have also been destroyed.
Dozens of fires have been reported across the region, with fires in Hurst, Eaton, Woodley, Palisades and Runyon Canyon – with the fires now so substantial they span more than 25,000 acres, and the smoke visible from space, as per the Nasa Space Observatory.
Having now declared a state of emergency, all resources are being deployed to try and bring the fires under control, with President Joe Biden having responded directly to the crisis by approving the allocation of more aid.
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