Inside the LA Fires and How to Help

Published Jan 21, 2025, 8:00 AM

Los Angeles. The city has always been a second home for me. As a kid who fell in love with Old Hollywood films, I dreamed of visiting the City of Angels. And once I did, I fell in love with such a magical place. Years later I would start working in the entrainment industry, leading me to visit LA multiple times a year for over a decade. It truly became a home away from home.

I have so many friends and family living in a city that is picking up the pieces to figure out what’s next. My heart is so heavy. The fire is all I can think about. But if there is any hope I have, it’s that the community is already rallying together to collectively heal. I have a feeling we will see stories coming out, highlighting the very best of humanity. And when my friend Jennifer Love Hewitt told me about her initiative to give back to the victims of the fires, I knew I had to bring her on The Elvis Duran Show to hear how we all can join in helping. In this episode Jennifer opens up for the first time about how she has been doing since the fires hit, her new clothing collection with BFFS and BABES in which 100% of proceeds help Baby2Baby, how to continue supporting LA from afar and so much more. 

Subscribe, rate, and review this episode if you enjoyed this conversation!

Hey, guys, welcome to I've never said this before with me, Tommy di Dario. I have been thinking so much about everyone out in LA and being here in New York, which feels like a world away. It's so hard to figure out how we can even help. But I brought my dear friend Jennifer of Viewett onto the Elvis Da Ran Show, and I wanted to share that conversation with you today. So take a listen and find out how you can help that beautiful community. I'm sending so much love to everybody out in LA.

I don't know if you're like me, and maybe you are somewhat. You just cannot stop watching the news. You cannot stop watching about what's going on in Los Angeles right now. And there's so many moving parts to this story. I mean, you've got people, you've got lives, you've got animals, you've got property, you've got one of those naturally beautiful parts of our country up in flames right now. And to not be there is both a blessing and also there's this this I don't know about you, guys. Do you have this desire like not just not be there to help, but do anything you can to help, yes, of course, sorry without being in the way, of course. So our little brother Tommy de Dario, is he on the phone. Let's get him on the phone.

You know what, hey, guys, Usually you know we have you on.

We do our best to ras you and insult you and make you feel lesser, lesser of human being. Today, today we're gonna actually be nice for a chance, so for a change.

So it's all good. We love you, are you all?

I love you, guys. I'm here. I'm here and any kind of any day of the week that I can be abused by y'all, I love but I'm happy to take a break.

Okay, very good. So it was. It wasn't long ago.

On Tommy's Incredibly Cool podcast he had Jennifer Love Hewitt on as a guest, and, uh, you were like floating on a cloud, right, I mean you you? That was that was what they called in the business. I get you loved having.

A right, Oh my god. And I told her when I interviewed her, she was someone I've always wanted to talk to. I've always admired, admired her work so much, And we had this amazing conversation at the beginning of December and we've literally talked every day since. Like my husband Geo's best he's with her, like we're all just so tight and we formed this beautiful friendship.

Well, I need to get her on the line and warn her about the bad evil side of your by.

We'll do that later, you know. Jennifer Love Hewitt was.

On our show many many years ago for many great reasons, and it's been so many years since then, and I'm glad, even though it's because of this opportunity, which is not the most positive opportunities, because of this opportunity, we have her back. Please welcome to the show, Tommy's gay crush and and someone that we're so excited to have on the show, Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Good morning, Jennifer. How are you doing?

Good money for a laugh? I needed it, I know, I know.

In it weird after you go through and you were going through something as as awful and dreadful as what's going on in Los Angeles, the first time you laugh, it kind of scares you a little bit.

You're like, am I allowed to laugh?

Yeah?

Yeah, yeah, I know. Really weird, But it's a good feeling. It's a good feeling.

Well, thank both you and Tommy for waking up in the middle of the night to come on with us. I guess it's a stupid question, but I'm gonna ask you in anyway. How are you? How are your friends? How are your family? How are you doing?

Just overall? How you doing?

If you know? It changes every couple of minutes. If I'm being honest, I think it kind of the day is weird. It's like you, Yeah, I'm a mom of three, so I have to try to be okay as much as possible because my kids are watching and they kind of take on, you know, where I'm at. So I'm trying to, you know, still be silly and present and all of that stuff. On the flip side, I'm heartbroken and panic and you know all of the other things. I think that watching it feels unbelievable. It feels like it's been six months and it's only been a few days. And it's yeah, it's just sort of a it's just sort of an ever changing feeling. But we're here. I'm with my family, and we are as safe as we can be. We've really missed our little community, our friends, you know, have checked in on us. A thousand times as we're checking in on them. And I think the interesting thing is that we've all had a totally different experience in the same situation, which has been kind of wild as well, but everybody's checking in on each other and taking care of each other as best they can. So it's been nice in that way.

I feel like that's the one thing that you take away from this. You know, obviously it's horrific, but the fact that everybody does come together and help each other and is there for it's like, it's just amazing to watch that aspect.

Yeah.

Yeah, we talked about that last night with our kids. We were like, listen, this is something that you take away from this situation. Always check on your friends, Always see how they're doing, not just like in extreme circumstances, but be there for people, hope where you can in your community, be good hearted, you know, look out for each other, that kind of stuff, because I do think, you know, we tend to do it more in these situations and we should just be doing it all the time. And so it's it's a good lesson, I think, especially my kids are really young, so it's been a good lesson for them. I think. Hopefully just for their lifetime.

You know, I don't know what it's like to be a parent. I have Schnauzers. That's as deep as I get.

But but no, I would never like it.

But but you know, it's you do everything you can to protect your children because you don't want innocence to be lost. At the same time, we're still kids in a way, we're still we're losing our innocence every day when these things happen, no matter how old you are. And so God bless you and all the parents out there who and look everyone for getting through this. Just it's one step at a time, right, you know, Gandhi, what do you think?

What do you have a question for?

Jennif love youeck I do so you said you're as safe as you can be. And we've been reading about how these winds are about to pick up and get stronger today as a day goes on, What is the best thing for people to do because you're literally in this area where any area could nite ignite again. Should people get out? Are people being told to stay because you need volunteers on the ground, but you also don't want all the extras around. Is there any sort of directive about that.

Yeah, I mean I would say for us, the second we were told to get out, we got out because the truth is, you can't do anything about the fire part of it. You have to leave room for you know, first responders to be able to do what they need to do to save what they can the winds they hear. There's such a strange feeling of like just palpable anxiety this morning. I think for everyone I have talked to, like seven or eight different moms. None of us slept last night. It was all been watching the news and we're just kind of like what is going to be next? Where is it going to go? You know? And also like especially for the palisades and eaten and everything, it's just embers right now, like sitting there. So if the wind gus go too crazy, what happened? Like you know, do those nimbers come up and ignite again? Like what is what is the situation? So yeah, I would say, if you know, if you're in one of those areas and they're saying highlands, I would gather what you can and I would get out and I would watch it all from somewhere safe because that is most important, and you know, just do what you can. We got out very quickly. I wasted no time. I think most of my friends, including my husband, probably thought I was a little bananas because he was like, wait, they just said it, but like right, and we're out. So, you know, we got out very quickly. But I'm glad that we did because traffic was crazy. It took us, you know, over an hour to even get out of our area, to go like two blocks and that was within literally twenty minutes of them asking people to leave. So yeah, I would just say, don't wait, get your importance and you send it out.

If you're just turning us on, Jennifer, love you it is here. Of course, Tommy Dedaria brought us what brought her to us this morning, and he's on the line in Denver.

Everyone's waking up for us. I feel so powerful.

This is crazy your I mean powerful, Oh my gosh, I just don't even know how powerful. Line, Tommy, have you been speaking with with Jennifer? You said, almost on a daily basis, What is something that you've picked up from her that maybe she maybe she's not talking about something that that is something important for us to know about her experience in the condition she's in.

You know, I think that no two people have the same experience when you're going through something so devastating, right, So I think the sensitivity is so important. Some people lost homes, some do not. Some won't be able to get into homes for years and years and years. Some you know, maybe do have a second home that burned down, but that was their main family home. Like, everybody has a different experience. So I think the sensitivity is so important with anybody who is going through this period, no matter you know, what walk of life you come from or who you are, lost is loss, you know. I have One of my dear friends is Rachel Ray. Her home burned down upstate a few years ago, and she lost the most personal things to her, like letters that her mother wrote her who's no longer here, and that's irreplaceable. So whatever the optics might seem like from the outside, trust me, you don't know what's going on, and just be there for people. Just be of a listening ear, be a hug you can give. You know that the judgments I think are just something that can exist for anybody. And I think what's so cool about Jennifer. She's going through so much, but she's someone who's been there for everyon buddy in her life as well. So if you can make a little room, just a little bit of room for people, even when you're going through something tough, I think that ends up helping you and healing you as well.

Well.

All I have to say, I have to say Tommy and Gier have had me and my family one hundred percent of the time since this has happened. Like literally, they are they are maybe my newest friends. That they are the most loving and most kind and have held me and my kids in such strength and goodness. It's just honestly been so touching. It means so much to us. So there's most.

People ever we called we called them the Tommy and Geo Show. We love them every chance.

Again.

I know it's a it's a show. It's never ending, and it's it's it's got high ratings of my house.

Hey, so so, Jennifer, there's more to it than what we've talked about here. You're actually doing more.

And I was.

I went to uh b f S, b f f S andbabes dot com and we're gonna we're gonna post this at Elvis Duran show and Instagram. You have come up with an incredible Love Angelus collection talk about that and about how one of the proceeds are going to people.

Who need it.

Yeah. So again, I've just been sitting and watching all of this, and I often in my life when I'm hurting, try to figure out a way to turn that into something active, because it just is. It just doesn't serve us to sit in all of that heaviness. And so this company, BFF and Babes, they have been so lovely to me and my family for the last few years, and I've posted for them, They've posted for me and whatever it was. And so I was sitting up in the middle of the night and I was like, oh my gosh, Like I just love Los Angeles so much. It's like I just want to do something to help them. And so I was like, oh my gosh, instead of Los Angeles, maybe it could be Love Angelis because it's my middle name, but it's also what I want to give out to the city and all of that. So I, you know, DMed her and said, listen, I have this idea. Can we do this? And she was like, one hundred percent, let's do this. You you find you know who we want to like help and sort of send this out to and I'll send you the designs. In two hours, she sent me the designs. I was floored. I absolutely love them. And here in La and everywhere really, there's this organization called Baby to Baby and they do this incredible stuff. They're national nonprofit and they support children affected by devastating fires. They distribute one point five million emergency supplies diapers, food, formula, water, everything. They're just incredible, like critical items that children and families need. So I reached out to them and I said, listen, can we send one hundred percent of the proceeds sold to you guys? And they were, you know, very happy about that and said sure, And so we put the whole thing together literally in like two hours, and so far we've been able to sell a lot, but we just want to keep going and get them as much as possible because there's so many people affective and it just seems to keep going that I think we still have a long way to go, but I'm really excited about it. And yeah, just hope that people will will know that that's a little piece of something they can do to sort of help people here in La.

Well, okay again, it's b ffsandbabes dot com and we're going to have it up on Elvis Durand's show Social on Instagram in any minute now.

Now.

So Danielle here, who was with us years ago when we interviewed you for many different reasons, does she know that you've her song was the first song you played at your wedding.

Yes, she knows that. I don't know if you remember, but years ago you actually were here hanging out with us, and you made me a nice little clip to play at the wedding, and No Ordinary Love was our wedding song.

There you go.

Oh my gosh, I'm so honored. Thank you.

And they're still married. They're still married. They're still married.

And I will tell you, one of the first people in line on our show to hop onto bff s and babes dot com and by merch was Danielle.

I already bought mine. I'm all good. I can't wait.

Oh my gosh, thank you so much, thank you.

I know that it's hard to live in living in Los Angeles. No matter where in the area you are, you want to stay watching that news and even though they recycle the same stories over and over and it becomes a lot to deal with what the TV cameras are showing us across the country. Is it accurate? What are we not seeing on these on these reports from the networks?

I mean, I think what you're not seeing is how many, like Tommy said, how many different sides to the story there are? You know, I think you're seeing the images and the drone shots and the helicopter shots of you know, everything burning down or burnt down. I think you know you're seeing you're seeing some of the bravery of these first responders. It's so weird for me that I play a first responder on the show that I'm on, and you know, we talk about these things and we do these sake fires and everything is unreal when it becomes a very real situation. These firefighters are working so hard, and I feel like a lot of the stories that are happening are either you know, political, or about like what the city's doing and what the city's not doing, and you know, all of that stuff, and I get all of that and that has to be out there, but truly, these these firefighters have not stopped trying to save people's homes and experiences and memories, and they're working so hard, and so I just hope that people know that even if they're losing, they're they're trying, you know, and they're working really hard. And also I think that you know, there are people that have lost everything. There are also people you know, whose homes are still standing but literally can't get there and won't get there for very very or our damage beyond repair inside because of toxicity and you know, all the stuff in the air and everything, and that their house will have to be knocked down and rebuilt. And there's just so many stories that I don't feel like they can tell them all. But it is a city of people who are really supporting each other and and care about each other and are looking out for each other, and there is a there is a beautiful spirit amongst all the level right now that is it's very moving. It's hard to be talkbooks. It's just very moving. It's really they're they're just I mean, I have hugged more strangers that have hugged me in the last you know, four days, and it's everything. It just means so much, and so I just hope that people know that there's a really beautiful part of what's happening here. That maybe they don't get the chance to tell in quick clips on the news that is really inspiring. And I hope will cherry passed all at some point.

Well you will.

It's easy for me to sit here and say that, but no, you will. It's going to take time and lessons learned. You know, every time something devastating happens, there are lessons in the story and.

You don't see them immediately, and you shouldn't.

Now is not the time to learn the lessons, and now this is the time to take action and help people. Right Like we've been talking about the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation making sure that they're taking care of there's a whole list of a million people that are doing teams that need our help. And Jennifer love Hewett so great having you here.

I know that. I'm sure. Well, I bet you've had a lot of alerts on your phone.

You've never known a phone to have so many alerts in it until something like this happens.

It's like it's like, shut up, just shut up. They're all very important.

And Tommy, the fact that that you brought Jennifer to us today, we do appreciate that. And I will be nice to you for exactly two weeks.

You're gonna miss you, You're gonna you're gonna miss the torture, You're gonna miss it.

But is there any Jennifer, is there anything in closing that maybe we didn't cover that you want to say or other than what we talked about.

No, I just wanted to say, you know, thank you, thank you to you, thank you to Tommy, thank you guys for you know, allowing me a minute to talk about kind of what this is, what this is. Then I do hope that people, you know, besides just us, there are so many amazing companies doing small things that you can purchase if you're not in LA, to support l A, to give back to people. If you are in l A, check all the WhatsApp chats. There are so many wols willing to help you with clothes and salons now are opening your doors to just like wash your hair and you know, take care of you and make you feel loved and cared for. So look for all of those check those things when they're sent to you, and yeah, you know, I just I just hope that we make it through these next couple of days of these crazy wings without any more big news. Honestly, there you go.

You've had enough big news for a while, all right, Love Hewett of course, Tommy to Dario, thank you both so much. And if you choose to do so, you can probably put your head back on the pillow and try to get a moment of sleep. You probably deserve it, so try it out, you know.

Thank you.

Something tells me you're both up. But thank you, Tommy, Thank you, Tommy.

Did you fall asleep? How dare you?

I'm here, I'm here.

I'm wiping my tears away because y'all are making me emotional.

Oh Tommy, you had too much to drink last night, I can tell. But it's so good. I love you guys. And when when you're in New York next, Jennifer, please come buye it and say hi to us.

Okay, Oh my gosh, I would love that. I promise I will thank you so much.

You too, Tommy, even you. It's all right, Pop bye, Pop bye.

All right, guys, thank you for being on the show today. It really changed. It changed everything. It's fantastic. Have a great day, good luck everyone, all right, love you old.

Love you to by Bike.

I've never said this before. Is hosted by Me Tommy Dedario. This podcast is executive produced by Andrew Puglisi at iHeartRadio and by me Tommy, with editing by Joshua Colaudney. I've Never Said This Before is part of the Elvis Duran podcast Network on iHeart Podcasts. For more rate, review and subscribe to our show and if you liked this episode, tell your friends. Until next time, I'm Tommy de Dario

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