Mel Gibson has been spotted for the first time since he lost his home to the LA fires.
Mel was seen in the passenger seat of a female pal’s car, as he kept a low profile wearing a baseball cap.
The movie star, 69, was filming a podcast with Joe Rogan in Austin, Texas during the fires, and returned home to see his $14.5 million Malibu mansion burned down.
‘I was kind of ill at ease while we were talking because I knew my neighborhood was on fire, so I thought, “I wonder if my place is still there,”‘ he said to NewsNation on Thursday in a phone interview.
Adding: ‘But when I got home, sure enough, it wasn’t there.’
On Friday, his publicist Alan Nierob confirmed that Mel’s home of 14 years in Malibu was ‘completely gone’.
Mel Gibson has been spotted for the first time since he revealed he lost his home to the LA fires
Mel called his home ‘perfectly burnt,’ adding that he had flown to Austin, Texas to appear on Joe Rogan’s podcast while the ‘winds were picking up.’
‘It’s just a thing but it’s obviously devastating. It’s emotional,’ the Braveheart star said on Elizabeth Vargas Reports on NewsNation.
Adding that in one sense, he’s ‘been relieved from the burden of my stuff because it’s all in cinders,’ he said with a laugh.
‘I went home and I said to myself, “Well at least I haven’t got any of those pesky plumbing problems anymore,’ Mel said to the outlet.
‘There was a dozen places or so that were just non-existent. I mean, nothing but a chimney and a few roof tiles, and you dare not walk around for the nails and the whole deal. The vehicles were gone, everything,’ he explained.
‘It was completely toasted. I’ve never seen such a complete burn. It’s like someone did it on purpose to really destroy every aspect of it,’ he claimed.
The actor and director said it was a ‘home’ to him, adding that he ‘had a lot of personal items there’ that he ‘can’t get back,’ including photographs, clothing and more.
However, despite his loss, Mel looked at the bright side, noting that things can be replaces and him and his family are safe: ‘Those in my family and those I love are well and we’re all happy and healthy and out of harm’s way.’
Mel was seen in the passenger seat of a female pal’s car, as he kept a low profile wearing a baseball cap
On Friday, his publicist Alan Nierob confirmed that Mel’s home of 14 years in Malibu was ‘completely gone;’ where Mel’s house once stood in Malibu
He was in Austin during the fires talking to Joe Rogan on his podcast, and his partner Rosalind Ross was in Malibu
He was in Austin during the start of the windy conditions and the fire warnings talking to Joe Rogan on his podcast, and his partner Rosalind Ross was in Malibu.
The movie star said he was on a plane when the winds started picking up in LA.
Elizabeth asked him what his plans were now, with the star joking if anyone wanted to buy the 5 acres of land it house once sat on.
The Patriot star criticized California governor Gavin Newsom during his appearance on Joe Rogan.
‘We were just talking about the wildfire situation and how crazy it is that they spent $24 billion last year on the homeless, and what they spend on preventing these wildfires,’ Joe said to Mel on the episode.
‘Zero. zip,’ Mel answered.
‘In 2019, I think Newsom said, you know, “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,’ Mel added.
Mel also spoke to Laura Ingraham on Fox News, where he reflected on the tragedy.
Mel also spoke to Laura Ingraham on Fox News, where he reflected on the tragedy
‘These are things and they may or may not be replaceable but we’re still here and I just kind of look at it in a weird kind of a way like a purification,’ he told the host.
When the actor found out about the fires, he said he rushed over to grab a few things with his son.
He revealed that they grabbed their passports and important documents.
‘My son grabbed like three things and took off and those are okay, stuff like passports and a couple of papers… [but] its tragic, it makes you really sad,’ the father of nine said.
There’s actually neighbors that I have and I was looking at them and I felt worse for them than I did for myself.’
‘I look at it as a strange mixture of sadness and almost kind of an elation in a sense. I just count my blessings… it is what it is I guess.’
The devastating fires in LA have led to over 40,000 acres burned and 24 people killed.
Over 150,000 people have evacuated due to the massive infernos – with the Palisades Fire being the largest ongoing fire and the Eaton Fire as the second.
The AP reported that over 12,000 structures have since burned in fires.
The outlet noted that the burn area is larger than the city of San Francisco.
The LA fires began on Tuesday morning amid strong Santa Ana winds battering the area.
A number of celebrity homes have been destroyed in the fires, including Leighton Meester and Adam Brody’s home, Ana Faris, Jeff Bridges, Paris Hilton, Miles Teller, Jhene Aiko, Anthony Hopkins and more.
