Jennifer Garner Grappling With Survivor’s Guilt After Friend Dies in Wildfires and Others Lose Their Homes

Jennifer Garner captured the raw emotions of people affected by the raging LA wildfires, revealing the survivor guilt she’s experiencing after losing a friend to the Palisades Fire. Speaking with MSNBC, Garner revealed the loss and fought to keep her emotions in check while speaking with anchor Katy Tur and World Central Kitchen Chef Jose Andres.

“I did lose a friend, and for our church, it’s really tender so I don’t feel like we should talk about it yet,” Garner said. “I did lose a friend. She didn’t get out in time.”

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“My heart bleeds for my friends,” she continued. “I mean, I can think of 100 families, and there are 5,000 homes lost…I can — without even [thinking] — I could just write out a list of 100 friends who lost their homes.”

Garner also explained that the area where they were currently standing used to be a busy street where kids would be playing, with one neighbor having a gong to ring and call their kids home.

“My best friend’s house was down the street. They had a gong in their front yard,” she said. “This is the street we run down on 5Ks. This is where the little firetruck — God, bless our firefighters — this is where the firetruck goes, you know, on the Fourth of July parade.”

Garner’s home was spared by the fire, leaving her feeling guilty in the face of her neighbors. The Palisades Fire alone affected an area the size of Manhattan.

“You know, what can I do? How can I help? What can I offer? What do I have to offer with these hands and these walls and the safety that I have?” she said. Garner already provided haven to one notable evacuee: ex-husband Ben Affleck. His house also ended up being spared in the end.