Tori Spelling recently shared a dramatic and ultimately hilarious story on her “MisSPELLING” podcast about returning to her Los Angeles home after evacuating with her five children during the recent fires. What she found inside left her convinced they had been looted – until she realized the shocking truth.
“I walk through our front door. You guys, I’m not an alarmist,” Spelling began on the Friday, January 24, episode. “I walked in and I gasped. I thought while we were gone, out of town, evacuated, someone has broken into our home and has burglarized our home. There have been looters here. Look at the state of the house.”
Spelling described the scene as if “people had come in and just trashed our house.” But upon closer inspection, the former Beverly Hills, 90210 star had a startling realization: “Oh s***, no, this is just the way I live.”
The 51-year-old actress and her kids, Liam (17), Stella (16), Hattie (13), Finn (12), and Beau (7), had evacuated to an Airbnb in Camarillo, north of Los Angeles. The experience, while initially frightening, has inspired Spelling to declutter and purge her belongings.
A new perspective on her life
Spelling expressed that witnessing the devastation and loss experienced by others put her own situation into perspective. “When you’re lucky enough that you still have your home and you still have your things, it really put it into perspective that it’s like, God, I have so much stuff,” she said.
The daughter of the late television mogul Aaron Spelling is now “happy” and “excited” to donate her excess belongings to those in need. This comes on the heels of her “hoarding episode” on the podcast, making the timing particularly poignant.
“I’m really ready to do that – especially this all on the heels of me doing my hoarding episode – I really just haven’t had the time, but I’m ready to let go of stuff,” Spelling explained.
A terrifying experience
The podcast episode also detailed the chaotic evacuation itself, as they had to drive through the fire. Spelling described packing “six lives and three animals” in “30 minutes or less.” In the rush, she grabbed sentimental items like a seashell from her uncle, crystals, and her contact lenses.
“I said to the kids, ‘Everyone grab a t-shirt.’ And I said, ‘Put it over your mouth, hold your breath, and we’re driving right through it.’ And they were panicked.” Spelling compared the harrowing experience to a movie scene. Thankfully, they made it through safely.
While the initial shock of returning to her messy home led to a comical misunderstanding, Spelling’s experience has ultimately inspired her to give back to her community and embrace a less cluttered life.