Comedian Deon Cole Evacuates L.A. Shortly After Hospital Stay

Days after experiencing an unspecified health scare that landed him in the hospital, comedian Deon Cole was forced to evacuate his home in Los Angeles due to the ongoing wildfires.

“This day is devastating!!!! Left the hospital earlier, sick af, went home, then had to packed what I could to evacuate,” Cole, 53, wrote via Instagram on Saturday, January 12. “As I drove away I seen the fire rising from behind my house, It’s a nightmare!!! I got the flowers my mom gave me before she passed tho.”

Alongside his caption, Cole had shared a video he’d taken from the car as he drove through his neighborhood, capturing the thick smoke and intense, red glare of the fire as it continued to burn through the Los Angeles neighborhood. “Oh my God, look at this,” the Barbershop star can be heard saying in the video. “It’s right over my house.”

Cole, who celebrated his birthday on Thursday, January 9, had spent the day in the hospital following a health issue. He shared a selfie from his hospital bed via Instagram just two days before he was released and forced to evacuate, but did not provide any additional information regarding his health.

“Thank u all for your birthday well wishes. I sure could use them. Thank you all,” he wrote via Instagram earlier this week.

Cole is one of tens of thousands of people whose home has been destroyed by the wildfires that began raging through the greater Los Angeles area on Tuesday, January 7.

A windstorm caused brush fires to move quickly through the Pacific Palisades and other Los Angeles neighborhoods — including Malibu and the Hollywood Hills — destroying or severely damaging more than 12,000 structures, and placing over 150,000 people under mandatory evacuation orders.

A number of celebrities have lost their homes due to the historic fires, including Paris Hilton, Anna Faris, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, Billy Crystal, Mel Gibson and Milo Ventimiglia. Other stars like Mark Hamill, Jennie Garth and Mandy Moore are among those who were ordered to evacuate.

Hilton, 43, shared a video of what was left of her home via Instagram on Thursday, January 9, which had been completely burned to the ground.

“I’m standing here in what used to be our home and the heartbreak is truly indescribable.💔🥺,” she wrote. “When I first saw the news, I was in complete shock — I couldn’t process it. But now, standing here and seeing it with my own eyes, it feels like my heart has shattered into a million pieces.😢💔”

She continued, “This house wasn’t just a place to live — It was where we dreamed, laughed, and created the most beautiful memories as a family. It was where Phoenix’s little hands made art that I’ll cherish forever, where love and life filled every corner. To see it reduced to ashes… it’s devastating beyond words. (Hilton shares son Phoenix, 2, and daughter London, 12 months, with husband Carter Reum.)

Check the LAFD website for local wildfire alerts and click here for resources on how to help those affected.