Hollywood AWOL on Hurricane Helene (And We All Know Why)

admin October 08, 2024

Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, killing nearly 1,400 people and leaving thousands without power, homes or both.

Hollywood took less than a week to officially respond to the 2005 crisis. “Scores of musicians and Hollywood celebrities,” according to far-Left NPR, rallied to raise funds for those impacted by the natural disaster.

“A Concert for Hurricane Relief” may be best remembered for Kanye West’s race-based attack on then-President George W. Bush.

Hollywood’s charitable efforts extended to the corporate level.

In addition to the multiple telethons and fund-raising events, media companies such as Walt Disney, DreamWorks, GE (parent of NBC Universal), News Corp., Revolution Studios, Sony, Time Warner and Viacom are all matching employees’ contributions to charitable orgs such as the American Red Cross.

Last month’s Hurricane Helene similarly left death and destruction in its wake. The body count, while much lower than Katrina’s legacy, keeps rising. Talk of still-missing people suggests it could grow far worse soon. Entire towns have essentially been wiped off the map.

Social media has captured the depth and scale of the wreckage. It’s worse than any disaster film.

So where’s Hollywood this time?

The hurricane hit on Sept. 26. It’s now Oct. 8. We haven’t seen a massive fundraising event or concert from Celebrity Nation. 

A smattering of stars have finally entered the frame. It’s mostly driven by country crooners.

Country music superstars Luke Combs and Eric Church announced that they would be holding a “benefit concert” to help the communities that have been affected by Hurricane Helene.

People magazine dubbed the response as “a handful of massive music stars.” Previously, Dolly Parton and Morgan Wallen wrote huge checks to aid those impacted by the crisis. Ed Helms is rallying resources on Instagram.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Ed Helms (@edhelms)

Compare that to the musicians responding to Hurricane Katrina: 

Green Day. Beastie Boys. Pearl Jam. Harry Connick, Jr., Wynton Marsalis, Aaron Neville, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Bono, Mary J. Blige, Kelly Clarkson, Dr. John, Neil Young, Foo Fighters, Mariah Carey, Paul Simon, Garth Brooks, Diddy, Jay-Z, Patti Labelle, Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, Eryakah Badhu, and Queen Latifah.

That’s a partial list.

Some of the big-name actors who lent a hand during Hurricane Katrina?

Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, John Travolta, Morgan Freeman, Jamie Foxx, Oprah Winfrey, Matthew McConaughey, Richard Gere, Mike Myers, Claire Danes, Leonardo DiCaprio and Chris Rock.

Again, that’s a partial list.

Why? Why the massive disparity in celebrity response?

Two reasons jump to mind.

One, corporate media is trying to downplay the hurricane’s aftermath. Journalists not only covered the devastation following Hurricane Katrina nearly 20 years ago, but they savaged President Bush and then undersecretary for Homeland Security Michael Brown for their response.

Brown later wrote a book giving his side of the story. Bush’s presidency never fully recovered.

Today’s journalists, de facto cheerleaders for the Biden/Harris administration, refuse to hold them accountable for their reaction.

Or lack thereof.

President Joe Biden rested on a beach during the dawn of the hurricane. Vice President Kamala Harris passed the hat at a swanky celebrity fundraiser at roughly the same time.

Both were beaten to the scene by President Donald Trump, who also sparked a successful fundraising campaign via GoFundMe.

Vice President Harris offered a meager $750 per hurricane survivor at roughly the same time her administration sent an additional $157 million to Lebanon.

Celebrities, who by and large read corporate media over new media, may not be fully aware of the hurricane’s devastation.

The other reason is more sinister.

Any outsized hurricane relief could draw attention to the feckless Biden/Harris response. We’ve already seen Homeland Security Security Alejandro Mayorkas say FEMA is out of money while illegal immigrants continue to be fed, housed and cared for in massive numbers.

President Biden’s tone-deaf response included him saying stricken residents were “very happy across the board” with the government’s response to the crisis. That’s after he figured out which storm he was addressing.

Imagine if President Bush had said something similar. Today’s media yawned over Biden’s latest gaffe.

Or was it a “cheap fake?”

Vice President Harris sent out staged photo ops to show she cares, including a personal appearance of her stuffing bags of hurricane relief supplies.

Two national tragedies. Two dramatically different responses from Hollywood just weeks before a presidential election.

Editor’s Note: It’s a brutal time to be an independent journalist, but it’s never been more necessary given the sorry state of the corporate press. If you’re enjoying Hollywood in Toto, I hope you’ll consider leaving a coin (or two) in our Tip Jar.

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