During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Kim Kardashian announced that she and husband Kanye West would be giving back to their adopted Southern California community this holiday season, partnering with Adidas to donate $500,000 to foundations and individuals helping with wildfire relief in the wake of the recent wildfires that claimed an estimated $2.975 billion in damages this wildfire season.
The 2018 wildfire season has been one of the most destructive ever, with the most recent Woolsey and Camp Fires destroying more than 10,000 structures, making them two of the deadliest individual fires on record. That’s why Kanye, his Yeezy brand, and Adidas are donating $200,000 to the California Fire Foundation and $200,000 to the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Relief Fund. They’re also personally gifting $100,000 to firefighter Michael Williams, whose Oak Park home burned down while he was fighting the fires to save other properties.
The gesture comes at a time the Wests and Kardashians are doing a little damage control of their own. After Kanye’s recent tweets that he would be stepping away from actively discussing politics in light of the “Blexit” scandal and his misfired 13th Amendment tweet, several outlets have reported that Kim would be taking tighter reins over the family’s public image to cut down on the backlash of her husband’s controversial opinions.
Meanwhile, the family hired their own private firefighters to help protect their Hidden Hills home, despite reports that the practice is a violation of California fire codes. Kim defended the practice by pointing out that the firm she and Kanye hired also protected their neighbors’ homes.
