Tyler Perry has criticized insurance companies as he determines the best way to help the communities impacted by devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. On Sunday (Jan. 12) the filmmaker shared a wordy post on Instagram opening up about the ordeal.
“Watching a daughter use a garden hose to try and protect her 90-year-old parents’ home because their insurance was canceled was just gut-wrenching to me,” detailed the 55-year-old. “Does anyone else find it appalling that insurance companies can take billions of dollars out of communities for years and then, all of a sudden, be allowed to cancel millions of policies for the very people they became rich on?”
He continued, “As I am in the process of trying to figure out what steps to take to do all I can to help as many as I can, I am keeping everyone in my prayers.”
According to CBS News, an estimated 1,600 insurance policies were dropped by State Farm in July 2024 in Pacific Palisades, where fires caused unprecedented damage. Additionally, State Farm also dropped more than 2,000 policies in two other Los Angeles ZIP codes, which include the Brentwood, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, and Monte Nido neighborhoods.
Rep. Maxine Waters informed the news outlet of her plan to re-introduce a bill called the Wildfire Insurance Coverage Study Act, which would require the Government Accountability Office to analyze the dangers posed by wildfires and the response of insurance companies.
“It will help us determine what the best federal response is to these issues,” Waters said, adding that higher risks are “leaving homeowners and business owners and families without insurance coverage because some of the insurance companies are canceling; they aren’t writing any new insurance. People continue to pay higher prices for even less coverage.”
A car and homes burned by the Palisades Fire are seen on January 12, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Multiple wildfires fueled by intense Santa Ana Winds are still burning across Los Angeles County while some containment has been achieved.
Apu Gomes/Getty Images
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a one-year moratorium on insurance companies canceling or non-renewing residential insurance policies in certain areas within or adjacent to a fire perimeter after a declared state of emergency was issued by the Governor.
“Losing your insurance should be the last thing on someone’s mind after surviving a devastating fire,” detailed Commissioner Lara in a statement. “This law gives millions of Californians breathing room and hits the pause button on insurance non-renewals while people recover.”
According to an update from California Governor Gavin Newsom’s social media account shared on Sunday, the Kenneth, Sunset, and Lidia fires are all at 100% containment, with the Hurst fire at 89%, the Eaton fire at 27% and the Palisades Fire at 11% as firefighters continue to work endlessly to put out the flames.
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