Last week was not easy for actor Deon Cole, as he may have been affected by the Los Angeles wildfires more than any other Black celebrity.
The drama for the comedian began Thursday when Cole decided to cancel his birthday party, writing on Instagram, “Due to the fires in Los Angeles we are postponing our party tonight at the well. Thoughts and prayers to those that have lost.”
“Don’t feel right to do my birthday party while people are losing everything they own and myself being under high alert for my own home. Pray for the families,” he added.
The next day, Cole shared a selfie of himself in the hospital, writing, “Thank u all for your birthday well wishes. I sure could use them. Thank you all.”
While it was unclear why he was in the hospital, his physical state was just the start of his problems: Later that evening, after Cole was discharged from the hospital, he was met with a more challenging issue at home. In a video posted on Friday, the “Grown-ish” actor is seen driving to his house in a panic, worried about the state of his L.A. home as the flames from the wildfires started to creep closer to his neighborhood.
He wrote on social media, “This day is devastating!!!! Left the hospital earlier, sick af, went home, then had to packed what I could to evacuate. As I drove away I seen the fire rising from behind my house, It’s a nightmare!!! I got the flowers my mom gave me before she passed tho.”
Cole is one of the many people in the greater Los Angeles area who have been forced to evacuate due to the fires. Many Black victims of the natural disaster feel like they have gone unnoticed, and think that the coverage of these events has focused on celebrities and not the working-class people who have lost everything.