Influencer slammed for distasteful LA fire comment
A famous influencer has faced intense backlash for making an insensitive comment about the Los Angeles wildfires that have claimed at least five lives and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.
Meg DeAngelis, 29, a Canadian content creator with millions of followers on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube was blasted for a selfie she shared on Wednesday.
She took to her Instagram stories with a photo of her pouting and wrote: “When I escaped NYC because it was too cold, but now this one is literally burning down.”
But her “joke” about ditching New York’s winter weather for LA’s heat didn’t land well with her followers, who called her “tone deaf” and “privileged” over on Reddit.
“The privilege is crazy,” claimed one user. “OMG girl read the room,” expressed another.
“Omg [what the h**l] … NYC was too cold and this one is too ‘hot’ because thousands of homes have BURNED DOWN, and people have DIED?” a third slammed.
“‘Escaped NYC because it was too cold …’ coming from someone who doesn’t commute to work and doesn’t ever have to leave the house if they don’t want to is crazy,’” a fourth person wrote.
“And that’s not to even mention how insensitive this is to say about the fires,” they added.
Others criticized her for not using her massive platform to bring awareness to the situation.
“OMG that’s horrible and so stupid. My friend’s house literally just burned down! People have died! Not to mention all the pets and wildlife,” one person wrote.
“Disgusting, but what else should we expect from an out-of-touch influencer? People have lost everything,” pointed out a different woman.
“If you don’t have helpful information for people in this ongoing crisis why are you posting? People … just HAVE to post on Instagram and somehow make this catastrophic situation about themselves,” another claimed.
In a follow-up post, DeAngelis seemingly back-pedaled by posting a photo of the orange California sky with a more serious message.
“In all seriousness, this is heartbreaking. I’m thinking about all the wildlife and everyone who is affected,” she wrote.
“I’m so sorry you have to go through this. Love you and make sure you check on your friends!”
It comes after a shocking photo captured a group of people stopping to pose for selfies in an evacuation zone near burning down homes on Tuesday.
The unidentified group of young adults, thought to be influencers due to their camera gear, were seen smiling right next to the Eaton fire in Pasadena.
“More madness,” someone commented on the photo on X.
“Wow. Gross,” someone else replied, while another called the group, “stupid, stupid people.”
Approximately 180,000 people have been ordered to evacuate as at least five separate fires continue to burn.
Part of the iconic Sunset Boulevard is in ruins after a fire ripped through the Pacific Palisades.
When asked about the total number of deaths on Thursday, a senior sheriff responded, “Frankly, we don’t know yet.”
