Fact Check: Did Selena Gomez donate $5M to Southern California Wildfire Relief Fund?

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: As the Los Angeles wildfires continue to cause massive destruction, several rumors have also started to circulate across social media platforms about celebrities coming forward to help Angelenos.

One such rumor that has garnered attention online is that Selena Gomez has donated $5 million to the Southern California Wildfire Relief Fund. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out.

Claim: Selena Gomez donated $5M to Southern California Wildfire Relief Fund

The rumors stemmed from a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). An X user @tonightwalker posted, "Thomas Tighe, CEO of Direct Relief, confirms Selena Gomez donated $5 million to support the Southern California Wildfire Relief Fund."

The social media post also had a picture of the 'Wolves' singer and one from the LA wildfires. The post has so far garnered more than 1.5 million views and more than 2.5K views.

False: Thomas Tighe did not make any such statements

The claim about Selena Gomez donating $5 million is false as Direct Relief's CEO Thomas Tighe has not made any such comments.

The official X account of Direct Relief reshared the viral post and wrote, "While we sincerely appreciate your interest and support—and would, of course, welcome such news—we wanted to clarify that Thomas Tighe hasn’t made this statement."

The post added, "We wanted to share this clarification to avoid any confusion. For accurate information about Direct Relief's response to the LA fires, please visit http://directrelief.org."

Even though the rumor turned out to be false, it must be noted that Gomez has been doing philanthropic activities since a young age. When the singer was 17, she was appointed as the ambassador of UNICEF.

Jamie Lee Curtis donates $1M for LA fire relief efforts

Jamie Lee Curtis and her husband, screenwriter Christopher Guest, donated $1 million to help those affected by the relentless wildfires ravaging Los Angeles.

Announcing their contribution on Instagram, Curtis said that the funds would be allocated through their Family Foundation to support relief efforts for communities devastated by the fires.

The 'Halloween' actress wrote, "As the fire still rages on and first responders work tirelessly to save lives, my husband, our children, and I have pledged $1 million to establish a fund of support for our great city and state."

Moreover, while appearing on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' on Wednesday, January 8, Curtis became emotional while discussing the fires' impact on her neighborhood in Pacific Palisades.

She said, "My community and possibly my home is on fire" while holding back her tears. 

The 'True Lie' star added, "The entire city feels like it’s burning. This is a catastrophe for Southern California."