Jamie Lee Curtis faces online backlash over her ‘unsettling’ comparison of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires to the Gaza conflict. [Getty]
Oscar-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis is facing backlash for remarks she made on Thursday, comparing the devastating Los Angeles wildfires to the ongoing war in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of over 46,000 Palestinians.
Curtis made the controversial statement during a Q&A for her latest film, The Last Showgirl, alongside co-star Pamela Anderson.
“The entire Pacific Palisades looks like, you know, unfortunately Gaza or one of these war-torn countries where awful things have happened,” Curtis said.
Social media users quickly condemned the comparison, labelling it tone-deaf and insensitive.
“Jamie Lee Curtis is now crying about the wildfires in LA & saying ‘they look like Gaza,'” one user wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Another commented, “Rich white woman Jamie Lee Curtis says Pacific Palisades looks like Gaza. No, Jamie. You have money, food, and your health. Gazans don’t.”
Critics also revisited Curtis’ earlier remarks, accusing her of being a supporter of Israel’s military actions.
Last year, Curtis faced a similar backlash when she shared an image of Palestinian children fleeing airstrikes, wrongly identifying them as Israeli.
Though Curtis tagged the photographer, Samar Abu Elouf, she overlooked the caption which explicitly stated the children were Palestinian.
After realising the mistake, Curtis deleted the post and issued a statement acknowledging the error, saying, “It’s an awful situation for all the innocent people in the line of fire.”
The controversy surrounding Curtis comes amidst heightened scrutiny of several other Hollywood figures’ stances on Gaza.
Actor James Woods, another vocal supporter of Israel’s military actions, faced criticism from pro-Palestinian voices after expressing his grief over losing his mansion to the Los Angeles wildfires.
Woods, who had previously endorsed Israel’s military campaign in Gaza with the hashtag “#KillThemAll”, broke down during a CNN interview mourning the destruction of his home.
Critics highlighted Woods’ public displays of grief over the LA fires while supporting actions that have devastated Palestinian lives.
The ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles have claimed at least 10 lives, destroyed thousands of properties, and forced over 150,000 residents to evacuate.
