Marlon Wayans on Fires: ‘This Ain’t Hollywood Burning, It’s a Rebirth'

Marlon Wayans is convinced the Los Angeles wildfires will lead to better days.

As the fires wreaked havoc across the greater Los Angeles area, the comedian took to Instagram to share his positive outlook on the aftermath. The post included an image of the iconic Hollywood sign engulfed in flames. Although the imagery was striking, the platform’s community notes feature confirmed it was fake.

“Wow… this image got me thinking spiritually… not sure if it’s real or not. Don’t care,” Wayans captioned the Thursday, January 9 post. “To all my tribe of friends, family, executives, agents, managers, crew members… this ain’t Hollywood burning, it’s a rebirth. This is rinsing our souls of all the devastation we have endured over the past five years. Covid, strikes, fires, etc.”

Wayans said the ongoing fires, which have left at least five people dead, would bring the “entertainment community” together and, perhaps, make the world “even better than before.”

“Through all this tragedy let’s focus on triumph,” he continued. “Everything is God. May we all hear him. He is screaming at us… Everything will be okay, even better than before. It’s not the end… it’s a beginning. Love and prayers to all those affected. I love all of US. To all my friends that have lost their homes I am saddened yet happy that you have your LIVES. These things are replaceable but life is not. Big hugs and love. I find rainbows whenever I’m in storms… some people just find gloom.”

A growing number of celebrities have been displaced by the fires; these reportedly include Jhené Aiko, Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, Mandy Moore, and Paris Hilton.

Wayans’ comments came just days after California officials confirmed the LA wildfires had destroyed roughly 27 square miles of land and more than 1,000 structures. Although authorities said dry conditions and hurricane-strong winds fueled the fires, the exact cause of the fires remains unknown.

As of Thursday, the LA fires were uncontained.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told USA Today roughly 180,000 people are under evacuation orders and 200,000 others are facing evacuation warnings. He also confirmed there had been about 20 looting-related arrests in the affected areas.

“Individuals who chose to go into areas and deprive these poor people who have been through so much,” Luna said. “Absolutely unacceptable. If you are in one of these areas where you do not belong, you are going to be arrested.”