Melissa Rivers saves late mom Joan Rivers’ Emmy earlier than dropping house in devastating LA fires
Melissa Rivers revealed that she was able to save her late mother Joan Rivers’ Emmy before losing her Pacific Palisades home in the devastating L.A. fires.
The TV personality, 56, opened up to CNN on Wednesday as she reflected on the heartbreaking loss of her home and expressed that the affluent town has been ‘wiped off the map.’
Residents in the neighborhood – including Tina Knowles, Anthony Hopkins, Candy Spelling, Miles Teller, Adam Brody and Leighton Meester – are just some whose homes were also destroyed in the raging infernos.
Joan Rivers – who passed away in 2014 at the age of 81 – won the Daytime Emmy Award in 1990 for Outstanding Talk Show Host for The Joan Rivers Show.
‘I kind of had a mental checklist. I made sure that we got passports, birth certificates, medication, clothing,’ Melissa told the outlet.
The star recalled that she had been ‘out shopping for clothes’ before being evacuated from her residence in the Palisades. ‘It started to hit me, we literally just had what was on our backs.’
Melissa Rivers, 56, revealed that she was able to quickly save her late mother Joan Rivers’ Emmy before losing her Pacific Palisades home in the devastating L.A. fires; seen in 2023 in Beverly Hills
‘I grabbed dog food, cat food. Luckily, my office which is in – was in – my home, [I grabbed] whatever was there.’
‘In my personal situation, that’s it, that’s the end of everything that belonged to my family and the history of it,’ Rivers emotionally said.
She added, ‘To be 100% honest, I grabbed my mom’s Emmy, a photo of my dad and a drawing that my mother had done of me and my son…’
Melissa then advised, ‘The most important thing is have your papers, have all your IDs, have your passport, have that in one place ready to go. Thank goodness we are organized like that.’
The TV personality expressed that, ‘It’s amazing what you grab. It’s amazing what you take.’
She added that she grabbed a drawing done by her mother ‘because I know I can find the photos. [But a drawing of hers] I can’t replace.’
The mother-of-one continued, ‘But my heart is so broken not just for myself, but for everyone going through this,’ before expressing the the town of the Pacific Palisades is ‘wiped off the map.’
Melissa also took to her Instagram page on Wednesday to reveal to her followers that her home had been lost.
Joan Rivers – who passed away in 2014 at the age of 81 – won the Daytime Emmy Award in 1990 for Outstanding Talk Show Host for The Joan Rivers Show (seen above)
She added, ‘To be 100% honest, I grabbed my mom’s Emmy, a photo of my dad and a drawing that my mother had done of me and my son…’; seen in 2005 in Hollywood
She wrote, ‘My family and I have safely evacuated, and we are deeply grateful to be unharmed.’
‘I am heartbroken by the devastation caused by the fires, which have tragically destroyed my home.’
‘I want to express my profound gratitude to the courageous firefighters and first responders who are tirelessly risking their lives to protect our communities and save lives,’ Rivers concluded.
Melissa had notably purchased the home in the Pacific Palisades nearly four years ago in 2021 for $7.7 million, per Architectural Digest.
The two-story house had consisted of five bedrooms as well as five and a half baths.
In the backyard was a swimming pool, spa area and also an outdoor fireplace.
Melissa had previously owned a separate property in the Palisades – which she sold in 2019 for around $5.2 million.
In the Palisades fire alone, around 5,300 structures have been destroyed, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Melissa also took to her Instagram page on Wednesday to reveal to her followers that her home had been lost
In the Palisades fire alone, around 5,300 structures have been destroyed, according to the Los Angeles Times; aerial view of Pacific Palisades taken on Thursday
The Eaton fire near the Altadena and Pasadena area has taken down between 4,000 to 5,000 structures as of Thursday.
Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley stated, ‘The Palisades fire is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles.’
The catastrophic fires – which began on Tuesday amid strong Santa Ana winds – have forced around 180,000 people from their homes across Southern California, per NBC News.
On Thursday, the Kenneth Fire near the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles also began, and has currently burned around 50 acres.
Other celebrities have lost their homes in the L.A. fires, including Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Beyonce’s mother Tina Knowles and Anna Faris.
Candy Spelling’s Malibu home located on Pacific Coast Highway also burned, and she told TMZ, ‘I’m in shock and processing this massive loss for our family.’
Melissa had notably purchased the home in the Pacific Palisades nearly four years ago in 2021 for $7.7 million, per Architectural Digest; seen in 2022 in North Hollywood
Other celebrities have lost their homes in the L.A. fires, including Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Beyonce’s mother Tina Knowles and Anna Faris; taken on January 7 in Pacific Palisades
‘I am beyond grateful for the memories. It was truly a wonderful gift to have.’
Her close friend, Josh Flagg, also stated, ‘I’m devastated. I have so many memories in this house. The house is gone but the memories are not. This is a total shame. This entire fire is a shame. This did not need to be happen.’
Actors John Goodman and Anthony Hopkins also lost their properties, as well as Miles Teller and his wife Keleigh.
In total throughout the numerous fires, a total of 9,000 structures have reportedly been either damaged or destroyed, while around 130,000 residents are still under evacuation orders.
