Celebrity Hairstylist Jen Atkin Shares Loss of L.A. Home from Wildfires in Emotional Posts: ‘Too Much to Comprehend’

Celebrity Hairstylist Jen Atkin Shares Loss of L.A. Home from Wildfires in Emotional Posts: 'Too Much to Comprehend'

The hairstylist and Ouai founder has been documenting her evacuation via Instagram Stories, saying that she’s “grateful” but also feels “scared and sad”

Jen Atkin and Mike Rosenthal home destroyed by LA fires
Jen Atkin and Mike Rosenthal on Instagram. Photo: Jen Atkin/Instagram; Mike Rosenthal/Instagram

Celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin‘s home has been destroyed in the deadly Los Angeles wildfires.

On Wednesday, Jan. 8, Atkin, 44, began sharing emotional updates on her evacuation with her family, including her husband, Mike Rosenthal, and their dog.

“This is weird to post but our house is gone,” the Ouai founder wrote on Instagram Stories along with a photo of herself crying. “We just got confirmation. Our whole area demolished. So many are displaced and feeling scared right now it’s almost too much to comprehend.”

Atkin continued that her neighbors are “taking care of one another and checking in and that’s the theme for 2025.”

“We’re going to be ok,” she added. “We always push thru.”

Jen Atkin and Mike Rosenthal home destroyed by LA fires
Jen Atkin on Instagram.Jen Atkin/Instagram

Atkin and Rosenthal also shared before and after photos of their now-demolished home.

“The last 48 hours have been such an intense rollercoaster, alternating between robotic and crushing emotions,” Rosenthal wrote on his own Instagram Stories. “Our house is gone. Everything in our house is gone beyond what we packed in the car. I know they are just things, and in many cases replaceable, but those things turned the house into a home.”

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Jen Atkin and Mike Rosenthal home destroyed by LA fires
Jen Atkin on Instagram.Jen Atkin/Instagram

Rosenthal said that the family is taking refuge in a hotel, adding: “We are the lucky ones. We can afford to stay in a hotel. There are thousands of people in shelters right now, I don’t even know where to begin.”

“The devastation is just unimaginable,” the director and photographer concluded the post. “At this point it’s not just a house or a neighborhood destroyed its entire cities. I struggle to fully comprehend that work ahead.”

Jen Atkin and Mike Rosenthal home destroyed by LA fires
Mike Rosenthal on Instagram.Mike Rosenthal/Instagram

The firestorm has quickly spread to different parts of the Los Angeles area and is already the most destructive in the city’s history. While the death toll remains unknown, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a press briefing on Thursday, Jan. 9. that as of Thursday morning, the Palisades fire had burned 17,234 acres, with 0% containment.

Many other celebrities have shared that they have lost their homes in the fires, including Adam Brody and Leighton MeesterBilly CrystalAnna FarisCobie Smulders and Taran KillamParis HiltonCandy SpellingCameron MathisonHeidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, John Goodman, Ricki Lake, Cary Elwes, Anthony Hopkins and Eugene Levy.

Click here to learn more about how to help the victims of the L.A. fires.

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