There’s always a lot of blame to go around during times of natural disasters, and whether justified or unjustified, the L.A wildfires have been no different. Consequently, many politicians have been called to account for their response — or lack thereof — during the devastating wildfire, none more so than Karen Bass, who was out of the country when the fire first broke out. Khloé Kardashian attempted to join in on this particular pile-on of Mayor Bass, but even though some people remain upset with the mayor, they quickly reminded Khloé not to throw stones in glass houses.
Mayor Bass has faced significant backlash over her handling of the disaster, with Sky News leading calls for her resignation. When stopped for an interview, the outlet questioned why she wasn’t in the country when the fires began and highlighted the tens of millions in funding cuts she made to the brave fire department. Bass struggled to provide a satisfactory response. To make matters worse, The Guardian reported that LA Fire Department Chief Crowley publicly criticized these cuts, calling her service delivery model “no longer sustainable.”
Khloé Kardashian seized on Chief Crowley’s comments, posting a screenshot of the passionate critique to her Instagram stories and declaring her support for the fire chief. However, at the bottom of the same post, Khloé also called Mayor Bass “a joke.”
While her frustration might have been understandable under normal circumstances, online users were quick to point out the hypocrisy. The Kardashian family — and other celebrities in the greater LA area — have long been documented for their egregious water wastage during extended droughts, often escaping with little more than bad PR and a slap on the wrist from authorities.
The wildfire commentary is proving to be almost as chaotic as the devastating fire itself, with public discussion taking unpredictable turns daily. One talking point that remains at the forefront, however, is the troubling discovery that many fire hydrants ran dry during attempts to contain the wildfire.
While some people have already bizarrely started blaming the hydrants drying up on DEI, The Independent reports that the actual issue lies in LA’s fire department still relying on municipal water systems. The department is now working on plans to separate its supply entirely from domestic systems. For now, however, every instance of water wastage directly impacts the fire department’s preparedness for emergencies like this. That’s why reports of the Kardashians exceeding their allocated water usage by over 330,000 gallons are especially damning.
Fans online did not hesitate to call out Khloé for what they viewed as blatant hypocrisy, with some even alleging that she has been blocking users who question her water usage. One commenter simply urged Khloé to “STFU” during such a critical time.
Khloé Kardashian comes from a long line of people who can dish it out but can’t take it. Hopefully, after this well-deserved backlash, the Kardashians will take the time to reflect on how their flaunting of rules can have adverse effects on the society we all share.