Jennifer Garner was visibly on the verge of tears as she opened up about the devastating L.A. fires while volunteering to feed communities in the Pacific Palisades on Friday.
The actress, 52, was seen lending support to World Central Kitchen (WCK) which is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization that provides food relief.
She joined chef Jose Andres for an interview with MSNBC and emotionally revealed that she had ‘lost a friend’ during the catastrophic event – which has now confirmed to have taken 11 lives.
At one point while talking to journalist Katy Tur, Garner shared, ‘I did lose a friend. And for our church, it’s really tender. So, I don’t feel like I should talk about her yet.’
‘But yeah, I did lose a friend who did not get out on time,’ she continued as her voice cracked over the tragic loss.
Jennifer also reflected on seeing the destruction of thousands of homes in the Palisades community and expressed, ‘I just…my heart bleeds for all my friends.’
Jennifer Garner, 52, was visibly on the verge of tears as she opened up about the devastating L.A. fires while volunteering to feed communities in the Pacific Palisades on Friday
The actress was seen lending support to World Central Kitchen (WCK) which is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization that provides food relief
‘I mean, I can think of a hundred families and there are 5,000 homes lost. Without even thinking, I can write out a list of a hundred friends that lost their homes.’
Garner then admitted, ‘I feel almost guilty walking through my house just, you know, what can I do? How can I help? What can I offer? What do I have to offer with these hands and these walls and the safety that I have?’
The star – who is also an ambassador for the nonprofit Save The Children – said the organization ‘will be in shelters helping parents and kids and keeping them safe and social and emotional…we’ll be here in a big way very, very soon.’
Elsewhere in her conversation with Tur, the actress stated, ‘I’ve lived in and around the Palisades for 25 years, so I just think all of us, we want to get our hands into working, somehow, to be helpful.’
‘And because of my work with Save The Children, we have a relationship with the chef,’ she said, referencing to Jose Andres – who is the founder of World Central Kitchen.
‘And I was able to just say, “Can I be with you for the day? What can I do to help? Put me to work.”‘
The Methodist Church that Jennifer would attend burned down in the fires, and she told Katy while becoming emotional, ‘It’s my family’s church.’
After a brief pause, Garner continued, ‘And it’s where my kids went to Sunday school. We lit the Advent candle together there a couple of weeks ago. We watched the little kids perform. It’s a preschool. It’s a central part of our community.’
At one point while talking to journalist Katy Tur, Garner shared, ‘I did lose a friend. And for our church, it’s really tender. So, I don’t feel like I should talk about her yet’
‘But yeah, I did lose a friend who did not get out on time,’ she continued as her voice cracked over the tragic loss
Jennifer also reflected on seeing the destruction of thousands of homes in the Palisades community and expressed, ‘I just…my heart bleeds for all my friends’
‘And because of my work with Save The Children, we have a relationship with the chef,’ she said, referencing to Jose Andres – who is the founder of World Central Kitchen
‘And I was able to just say, “Can I be with you for the day? What can I do to help? Put me to work,”‘ the star shared
The Methodist Church that Jennifer would attend burned down in the fires, and she told Katy while becoming emotional, ‘It’s my family’s church’; taken on Thursday
After a brief pause, Garner continued, ‘And it’s where my kids went to Sunday school. We lit the Advent candle together there a couple of weeks ago’; taken on Friday
‘It’s a gathering point for the entire community. And full of really quirky, cool, mostly blue collar people of the community. And just, like, I loved belonging there because wherever I went, I would run into somebody from our community.’
She later added, ‘The people are strong and the sense of the community is strong. We will look after each other, and that is still here. That is still stronger than ever.’
Garner began volunteering on Friday to help feed firefighters and victims amid the LA fires after ex Ben Affleck rushed to her home following the catastrophe.
The star cut a casual figure in a hoodie, jeans and baseball cap as she joined WCK founder Jose Andres to lend support and feed the thousands of firefighters battling the blazes.
This comes days after Affleck was forced to evacuate his $20.5 million home in Pacific Palisades, and headed to Garner’s nearby Brentwood home Tuesday to ferry her and their children to safety.
The next day, the actor returned home to find his home had survived the massive wildfires.
Despite his decision to return, the home appeared to still be in an evacuation area.
Ben arrived home in a business-ready tan sport coat and a white dress shirt, as he had driven their from his office.
She later added, ‘The people are strong and the sense of the community is strong. We will look after each other, and that is still here. That is still stronger than ever’
Garner began volunteering on Friday to help feed firefighters and victims amid the LA fires after ex Ben Affleck rushed to her home following the catastrophe
The Argo star had been seen the night before as he arrived at home with a shocked expression on his face as flames were visible near his house, which he bought following his split from Jennifer Lopez.
Ben was spotted later on Wednesday as he met up with a friend, and he beamed ear-to-ear.
Although he was lucky that his home survived when so many other Westside stars and Pacific Palisades residents lost their homes, he isn’t out of the woods.
Blustery winds continue to whip across Los Angeles and could still ignite new fires, though they appear to have mellowed somewhat from their highs on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
Since the fire broke out in Pacific Palisades, new fires have started further east in Altadena, which forced major evacuations in nearby Pasadena on Tuesday night.
More fires broke out in the Hollywood hills on Wednesday, threatening heavily populated parts of Hollywood.
The Armageddon star has only been living in Pacific Palisades for a short time after he bought a home in the area for $20.5 million following his separation from Jennifer Lopez.
This comes days after Affleck was forced to evacuate his $20.5 million home in Pacific Palisades, and headed to Garner’s home Tuesday to ferry her and their children to safety; pictured: Flames from the Eaton fire in Altadena engulf a home
After evacuating his Pacific Palisades home, Ben had rushed to nearby Brentwood to his ex-wife Jennifer Garner’s home to ferry her and their children to safety; seen in 2014 in West Hollywood
The fire has led to multiple film premiere cancellations, including one for his ex Jennifer Lopez’s film Unstoppable, which he produced; seen together in February 2024 in Hollywood
Although it’s far from the opulent retreat that he and his ex had lived in together in Beverly Hills, it’s not exactly tiny with 6,247 square feet and five bedrooms and six bathrooms.
Prior to living in his current home he had lived at the massive, 38,000 square foot Georgian mansion that he and Lopez purchased for $60 million.
It boasts 12 bedrooms and 24 bathroom and features numerous amenities, including a 12-car garage and an elevator, but so far the couple haven’t found a buyer after putting it on the market for $68 million.
After separating from Jennifer — but prior to her going public with her divorce filing — Ben had been seen living in a Brentwood rental, which isn’t too far from his current home and kept him in the same neighborhood that his ex-wife Jennifer Garner and his children live in.
Although Ben has so far been lucky, other celebrities experienced heartbreak due to the fierce flames.
Stars including Adam Brody and Leighton Meester whose home was destroyed, along with Anna Faris’ mansion.
John Goodman and Anthony Hopkins were left with nothing but rubble after their homes burned, and Billy Crystal and Eugene Levy also lost their houses.
Actor James Woods shared video of the approaching flames shortly before he evacuated ahead of the destruction of his house.
The Hills stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag saw their home destroyed in the wildfire, and Spencer was pictured looking somberly at the approaching flames before his family was forced to flee.