Tyler Perry has blasted “greedy” insurance companies for canceling policies for tens of thousands of homeowners in California, just months before the devastating LA wildfires.
The 55-year-old actor and filmmaker expressed his outrage on social media, citing the case of an ER nurse who lost her parents’ home in the Eaton Fire. The nurse revealed that their fire insurance had been canceled just days before the fire, despite 75 years of premium payments.
Perry questioned the morality of insurance companies taking billions of dollars from communities and then canceling policies when they are needed most. He wrote, “Does anyone else find it appalling that insurance companies can take billions of dollars out of communities for years and then, all of a sudden, be allowed to cancel millions of policies for the very people they became rich on?”
State Farm alone dropped 72,000 policies in California last year, including 1,600 policies in the Pacific Palisades and 2,000 policies in other LA County zip codes. Other insurance companies, including Farmers Insurance, Chubb Insurance, Allstate, and Tokio Marine America Insurance Co., also canceled policies in the state.
The LA wildfires have resulted in 16 confirmed deaths, with over 105,000 residents under evacuation orders. The economic loss is estimated to be between $135 billion and $150 billion. Several celebrities, including Mel Gibson, Paris Hilton, and Jeff Bridges, have lost their homes in the blaze.
Perry’s comments have sparked a wider conversation about the role of insurance companies in protecting vulnerable communities. As the actor noted, “People who have paid premiums all of their lives are left with nothing because of pure greed.”