Mel Gibson talks about the collapse of LA Civilization after wildfires on Joe Rogan’s podcast

Actor Mel Gibson suggested the “end of civilization” is near during an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan as Los Angeles continued to face a series of devastating wildfires.

Why it matters

The ongoing fires in California have killed at least five people so far while burning tens of thousands of acres and destroying thousands of structures, including the homes of many celebrities who live in affluent areas that were quickly engulfed in flames.

Gibson, who owns a home in Malibu, spoke about the fires and what he believes are “earmarks” of the end of civilization while appearing Thursday at a episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, which is recorded in Austin, Texas.

What to know

“I’d be surprised if my home is still there,” Gibson said during the podcast. “I have a son, he’s kind of a volunteer firefighter. Milo, I call him ‘the mayor of Malibu,’ and he’s running around. I asked him, ‘How’s it going, Milo?’ He says, ‘No good, Pops’.”

“He sent me a video of my neighborhood,” he added. “And it’s on fire. It looks like an inferno. So it’s not good.”

Rogan, who often pushes conservative rhetoric and supported President-elect Donald Trump last year, suggested that Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom was responsible for the fires because the state “spent $24 billion last year on the homeless,” while blaming Gov. for having “destroyed the state personally.”

Gibson, an outspoken conservative who also supported Trump, agreed with Rogan. He went on to claim that Newsom was responsible for San Francisco allegedly becoming “apocalyptic” and “a mess” because homeless people live there. He then suggested that civilization itself was poised to “cave in and collapse.”

“I read a book once by Jared Diamond called Collapse,” Gibson said. “It says all the things you need for a civilization to collapse and collapse. And many of those things are present, all those earmarks, the precursors of a collapse. They are present in our time. So it’s an interesting observation.”

The actor later spoke of his belief that a divine “intelligence” controlled everything in the universe, just before joking that the ongoing fires in California would “do” nothing but possibly “give (him) a new house.”

Gibson’s publicist declined Newsweek’s request for comment Thursday.

What people say

Newsom, commenting on the status of the fires Thursday in a post to X, formerly Twitter: “We just activated hundreds of additional members of the California National Guard to help fight flames and keep our Southern California communities safe. Grateful for our men and women who are willing to jump in and help fight these unprecedented forest fires. We will forever be in your debt.”

The actress Jamie Lee Curtis, who lives in a fire-stricken neighborhood but did not lose her own home, in a post to Instagram Thursday: “While the fire is still raging… all the available first responders and agencies involved in fighting fire and saving lives are still hard at work and neighbors and friends are joining together to save each other, my husband and I and our children pledged $1 million from our family foundation to start an endowment fund for our great city and state and the great people who live and love there.

“I am in communication with Governor Newsom and Mayor Bass and Senator Schiff about where these funds should be directed to have the greatest impact.”

What happens next

Emergency workers and agencies in Southern California continued to deal with the fires and issues related to the fires late Thursday afternoon. Cal Fire reported that several of the large fires remained at 0 percent containment, despite a recent weakening of the strong winds that helped the flames spread.