Mandy Moore takes part in her in-laws’ fundraiser in Los Angeles, and addresses the backlash
Mandy Moore responds to criticism of her response to the California wildfires.
The “This Is Us” star, 40, faced backlash after she shared a link to a fundraiser for her in-laws Griff and Kate, who lost their home in one of the fires that devastated the Los Angeles area.
in Thursday’s Instagram postMoore told her followers that her brother-in-law and sister-in-law “lost their house and everything they owned” in the Eaton fire. The actress wrote, referring to A GoFundMe page.
“With their first child due in a matter of weeks, they need our support now more than ever,” Moore’s post read.
“Griff is a touring musician who also lost his entire arsenal of drums/percussions that he uses to make a living. It’s all a lot.”
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But some fans criticized Moore for seeking donations and asked her why she didn’t give the entire $60,000 goal herself.
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One comment read: “How bold a millionaire is asking ordinary people who live paycheck to paycheck to donate to your family members, when you could easily donate the entire target amount without it affecting your family financially in any way.”
Moore responded to the criticism by writing on Instagram, “People asking if we’re helping our family or crediting some arbitrary amount of money that Google says someone has isn’t helpful or compassionate. Of course we are.”
She added: “Our friend Matt started this, fund me and I’m sharing because people have asked how they can help. We’ve just lost most of our lives in a fire too. Please turn it off. No one is forcing you to do anything.”
The GoFundMe page had raised more than $200,000 before new donations were disabled.
The “Candy” singer shared earlier this week that she was evacuating her home in California and wasn’t sure if the house would make it through or not.
She said Wednesday that she is “Grateful my family and pets got out last night before it was too late.” He was “in shock and numb to everyone who has lost so much, including my family.” Moore added that her children’s school in Altadena “is gone,” her “favorite restaurants” have been “razed to the ground,” and “a lot of friends and loved ones have lost everything, too.”
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By Thursday, Moore shared that She was able to return to her street to assess the damage and discovered “miraculously that the main part of our house was still standing.” But Moore said, “We lost our garage and our back house,” as well as the studio used by her husband, musician Taylor Goldsmith.
“Everyone we know has lost everything,” Moore wrote. “Every house on our street is gone. My husband. My brother and sister-in-law – 6 weeks after welcoming their first child. Our best friends. A strange sense of survivor’s guilt. We love this community and will do everything we can to help rebuild and support.”
Many celebrities have lost their homes in the Los Angeles area fires, including This Is Us co-star Milo Ventimiglia. In an emotional interview, Ventimiglia He told CBS News It was “heavy” to return to his home and see it destroyed.
“You start thinking about all the memories that are in different parts of the house,” he said. “Then you see your neighbors’ houses and everything around you, and your heart breaks.”
Contributing: Edward Segarra
