Australia is in the midst of one of the most devastating fire seasons in its history, where massive brushfires have left at least 24 people dead, thousands of homes burnt to the ground, and nearly half a billion animals wiped out. As the devastation continues to take a toll on Australia, celebrities are using both their platforms and money to raise awareness for the plight of those directly affected.
One person who knows firsthand the impact of the fires is Australian actor Chris Hemsworth. The 36-year-old “Avengers” star took to Instagram to pledge $1 Million in aid to fight the fires, and encouraged others to do the same.
“Hi everyone. Like you, I want to support the fight against the bushfires here in Australia. My family and I are contributing a million dollars,” Chris captioned a video of himself. “Hopefully you guys can chip in too. Every penny counts so whatever you can muster up is greatly appreciated. In my bio I’ve added links to support the fire fighters, organisations (sic) and charities who are working flat out to provide support and relief during this devastating and challenging time.”
Chris provided links to The Australian Red Cross, the World Wildlife Fund, the Irwin Family’s Wildlife Warriors organization, and several more.
The “Thor” actor isn’t the only celebrity (Australian or not) to bring awareness to the cause. Dozens of Hollywood’s elite have taken to social media to pledge their monetary assistance and are encouraging others to do the same.
Here’s a list of celebrities who want to help end the wildfire crisis in Australia:
Sir Elton John also joined the fight while live on stage during his Sydney performance, according to The Mirror. The megastar announced that he would donate $1M AUD to relief efforts, adding, “You should all be in awe of the work that the firefighters are doing.”
She may be American, but Pink’s selflessness spans the globe. The popstar pledged $500,000 to local fire departments and provided links on her page for other to do the same.
You may have noticed Russell Crowe was absent from Sunday’s Golden Globes ceremony when he won the award for Best Actor in a Limited TV Series or TV Movie for his portrayal of Roger Ailes. But he skipped for a good reason—the actor was home in Australia, hand-delivering checks to firefighters for a total of $105,000.
You can donate here to @NSWRFS (New South Wales Rural Fire Service)https://t.co/Aj7kNET16F https://t.co/aGxUL5JE0G
— nick kroll (@nickkroll) January 5, 2020
The American comedian is in Australia on a stand-up tour and came up with a creative way to donate to fire assistance. In addition to giving away all the money he earned in ticket fees from his shows in Sydney and Melbourne, Nick teamed up with Australian actor Joel Edgerton to start the campaign #FightFireWithAFiver, where he asks people in his audience—or anywhere!—to donate a $5 bill to the fires.
The Australian-born singer posted a photo of herself cuddling a koala to Instagram and also shared a link to a fundraiser on her stories. 24 hours later, Iggy commented that the donations had already surpassed $51,000.
The Australian comedian accomplished a truly impressive feat when she posted this photo alongside a link for people to donate to The Trustee for NSW Rural Fire Service & Brigades Donations Fund via Facebook. The fundraiser has already surpassed $10 Million—the largest amount ever raised on Facebook, according to NBC News.
The celebrity duo donated half a million to the Rural Fire Services. “Our family’s support, thoughts, and prayers are with everyone affected by the fires all over Australia. We are donating $500,000 to the Rural Fire Services who are all doing and giving so much right now,” read a post on Keith’s Instagram account.
The actress and comedian attended the Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo on the Gold Coast this Sunday, where she auctioned off two special luncheons where fans would get to eat lunch at her brand-new multimillion dollar home. Rebel ended up raising over $100,000 for the wildfire crisis.
The media mogul reportedly donated $1M to fire relief efforts in Australia after receiving backlash online for posting a photo of her mink fur slippers after raising awareness for the plight of injured animals in her Instagram stories.
Other notable names such as Selena Gomez, Kacey Musgraves, Ellen DeGeneres and more have donated undisclosed amounts.