‘Our hearts are broken’
Kim Kardashian’s moving speech on the ‘devastating’ California wildfires
The deadly wildfires raging in California have hit particularly close to home in Hollywood, and the devastation was on a lot of minds at the People’s Choice Awards Sunday nights.
The fires, which are burning in both Northern and Southern California, have claimed dozens of lives and forced thousands of residents to evacuate communities in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Celebrities including Miley Cyrus, Gerard Butler and Neil Young have lost properties in the fires, which have also destroyed a number of prominent Hollywood sets.
Kim Kardashian, who appeared alongside three of her sisters — Khloe, Kourtney and Kendall — and their mother, Kris Jenner, to accept the family’s People’s Choice Award for reality show of 2018, devoted most of her speech to the wildfires. She also referenced recent mass shootings, which include a deadly attack at a bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
The Kardashian sisters live in areas affected by the wildfires and took to social media last week as they fled their homes. Kim revealed last week on Instagram that she had evacuated the Hidden Hills home she owns with husband Kanye West. On Friday, she tweeted that flames had reached the property, but that the fire appeared to be “more contained.” She added, “I just pray the winds are in our favor.”
Here is a portion of Kim’s speech:
“It’s been a really rough week in our home in Calabasas, Hidden Hills, and our neighbors in Thousand Oaks and Malibu. Our hearts are broken from the horrific shootings and those who have lost their lives and homes, as well as the hundreds of thousands of us that have been evacuated from the devastating fires that are currently burning.
“As horrible as this as been, it’s been amazing to see the resilient spirit of everyone involved and the heroism of those risking their lives on the front lines. Action is necessary. So anything that we can do to help, as simple as donating to the many organizations that are collecting supplies. No form of help is too small. Our country is stronger when we come together, and we cannot face devastation alone. We must continue to reach out and help each other in these trying times.”
While accepting an award for “The Spy Who Dumped Me,” Mila Kunis implored viewers to donate to the LAFD Foundation, which supports the Los Angeles Fire Department. “Glow” star Betty Gilpin called the fires “a disaster of staggering magnitude that has touched the lives of many people that we know and work with every day.”
“Our hearts are with you,” she added, before thanking the firefighters and first responders.