TW’s dead dog announcement fell on the same day as the wildfires began on 7 January 2025. The next day, the world was in shock as neighbourhoods in Los Angeles were wiped out in a matter of hours. No one was interested in the death of an old dog that had been used for clicks on social media.
After the disastrous response to the Netflix trailer for TW’s ‘lifestyle show’ in a rented house, with faux pals, the Harkles jumped on another bandwagon. Now, they could have quietly donated money, and volunteered without informing the media or calling local officials to basically get a special tour and to meet victims, volunteers and first responders. Yet, they didn’t. They laid down what they wanted to do, and where to visit (this is according the Pasadena mayor, Victor Gordo).
They posed for hugs and staged photos on 10 January 2025, a day after they had posted a statement on their own private website telling people to help those who have been evacuated. I mean, do people need to be told to help others by a pair of people who have attacked and ghosted their own family for some pity victim points? They can post a statement of concern, but should redirect people only to official websites rather than to post advice and information that is not vetted or official.
An area was cleared for them according to witnesses and volunteers were told to ‘move’, leaving space for the cameras to get a good view of the Harkles. TW made sure the cameras were ready for the staged hugs, with her eyes glancing over at them, and she moved around when others blocked her view. That’s simply evident from the footage and images captured.
The press were informed of the visit before they arrived, but what was the purpose except for some PR? The mayor claimed it wasn’t for publicity and they handed out some food, but for how long? A shift is usually a couple of hours and the visit according to reports lasted less than an hour including lots of staged photos, and hugs for the cameras. José Andrés was there for World Central Kitchen and apparently that opened the door for the Harkles to visit. You can’t say you helped out if you aren’t on the shift rota. Handing out food for 10-15 minutes for photos is not helping out–that’s called PR.
Decide for yourself whether it was appropriate for two private citizens (who have foreign titles that they fling about for publicity and to try and gain some status) to be taken on a private tour of a damaged and affected site by the mayor of Pasadena. Since his city has been burned down, surely he has more important things to do than to give private disaster tours for people who are using it for PR? Justine Bateman coined the phrase ‘disaster tourists’ as they don’t even live in the area and appeared to do nothing more than to have photos taken. The mayor claimed the visit lifted people, but didn’t he even know that fires were still spreading and hadn’t been contained, and more people were losing their homes at that very moment?
Didn’t the mayor think how the victims of the burned houses would feel with random strangers walking through the ruins of their homes without permission, or them being there and being photographed in the ashes of their homes? It’s a violation of their personal space and grief, and there is no justification for it. The duo had no business being there–they can help and serve food for the volunteers, victims, and first responders, but traipsing around the ruins of homes simply isn’t on, especially when accompanied by a photographer. They are not elected officials, they have no status, and Harold is an immigrant and not even a citizen.
The entire ‘visit’ was reprehensible, abhorrent, despicable and in poor taste. It wasn’t as if the incident needed any attention as it has been the headline news for weeks, so one can only assume that PR was a motive mixed in with any humanitarian aid. If they really wanted to help World Central Kitchen, then are they on the rota to hand out food?
But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing (Matthew 6:3)
