Ricki Lake is giving fans an update, just weeks after the “unspeakable” loss of her home due to the Los Angeles wildfires.
On Saturday, Jan. 25, the talk show host and actress, 56, detailed the support she’s received from friends and brands alike in the days since her Malibu home was destroyed in the Pacific Palisades fire earlier this month.
“It’s so weird to be in a place of need. I am such an independent person, I’ve been taking care of my own since [I was] 18 years old,” Lake said in an Instagram Live clip.
“I don’t come from money, I don’t come from any handout or nepotism,” she added. “I just built this life for myself and my husband and my kids. It’s just so weird to have it be gone in one event.”
The purpose of her livestream, Lake added, was to thank those who “showed up and offered” help to her family as they look to the future. After revealing that she’s been staying with a friend since the night of Jan. 7, Lake extended a thank you to brands including Kroma Wellness, Héilo Skin Care, Ped Shoes, Hårklinikken and several others.
“I can’t even wrap my head around what happened and where we fell short … it’s a very strange time to be alive,” she said. “I really am grateful to everyone who reached out to me.”
“Keep us in your thoughts please and all of us who are going through this nightmare of having to rebuild our lives,” Lake added. “I am going to be okay. I am one of the lucky ones in that I do have insurance. It doesn’t replace what was lost, but we are going to create a new magical spot.”
The Hairspray star then revealed that, through the tragedy, she’s gained some new followers. She encouraged them to “go back and look” at what her home had looked like before the blaze.
“I will continue to stay in touch,” Lake told fans and loved ones. “I’m doing these TikToks where I’m drunk. I am self medicating, I’ll keep it real — I’m doing it for fun, just to kind of lighten the load because its really heavy when I put my head down at night. It’s just really, really a lot to take in.”
“So anyway, thank you all. I hope you have a safe and enjoyable weekend,” she concluded.
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Lake previously announced in a Jan. 8 Instagram post that her Malibu home — where she wed husband Ross Burningham in January 2022 — had tragically burned down in the L.A. fires. At the time, she called the property their “heaven on earth” and “the place where we planned to grow old together,” describing the loss as “immeasurable.”
In the weeks since, Lake has detailed how she bravely fought to save the home and has continued to share memories from the location she called her “sanctuary.”
In a Jan. 20 Instagram post, the star looked back at the property as her “hub for so many friends and loved ones.”
“Too many gatherings to count. Endless areas on the property to hang, dance and play. It is exhausting and paralyzing right now to try and wrap my head around how I will do it all again,” she wrote, before adding, “but I will. 🙏❤️💔.”
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