Meryl Streep Escaped Los Angeles Fires By Cutting Car-Sized Hole in Fence – Rolling Stone
By
Emily Zemler
Meryl Streep is apparently level-headed during a crisis. The actress’s nephew, Abe Streep, shared in an article for New York magazine that Streep had to go to extreme lengths to evacuate during the Los Angeles fires.
In the lengthy article, Abe described how the fires and the evacuations unfolded, affecting people across the city but primarily in Pacific Palisades and Altadena. He confirmed that Streep was forced to leave her home after evacuation mandates were sent out to more than 200,000 residents.
“My aunt Meryl Streep received an order to evacuate on Jan. 8, but when she tried to leave, she discovered that a large tree had fallen over in her driveway, blocking her only exit,” he wrote. “Determined to make it out, she borrowed wire cutters from a neighbor, cut a car-size hole in the fence she shared with the neighbors on the other side, and drove through their yard to escape.”
Elsewhere in the article, Abe shared that actor Martin Short, Streep’s costar in Only Murders in the Building and her rumored boyfriend, also had to evacuate from his home in Pacific Palisades. Short saw the flames from his balcony and evacuated after one of his sons, who lives nearby, urged him to leave. Traffic was backed up and it took the actor “more than an hour to cover a distance that would normally take five minutes.”
Short’s home did not burn down, but one of his son’s houses was lost. Short told Abe, “I will definitely stay in my home.”
Abe also spoke with Haley Joel Osment, who lost his home in Altadena (as did his parents). “Osment lost 500 records and a piano his parents had given him when he turned 18,” Abe wrote. “He told me his father was struggling with the loss of his home, having spent a decade sanding and refinishing the wood floors and painstakingly varnishing metal surfaces.”
He added that Osment hopes to get some clarity about what happened. “Not to cast blame or anything, but I just want to know, when this is all investigated — was there a decision to just let the whole neighborhood go?” Osment said in the article. The actor told Abe he plans to rebuild in the same place.
Beyond the known names, Abe spoke with numerous residents of both neighborhoods about their experiences. More than 10,000 homes have been lost during the blazes, which broke out in early January. Many people have stepped up to help in the wake of the destruction, including the music community, which is holding several upcoming benefit concerts for the victims of the fires. On Thursday, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Jelly Roll, Stevie Nicks, and Sting will be among the artists performing for FireAid at L.A.’s Intuit Dome.We want to hear it. Send us a tip using our anonymous form.Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2025 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.
