Actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who constantly uses his platforms to raise awareness of climate change, fled to Mexico from the devastating fires in Los Angeles in a fuel-guzzling private jet, and was branded a “hypocrite”.
The site Radaronline.com revealed that several social media users criticised the Oscar winner for taking advantage of his celebrity status and using a private jet to leave Los Angeles despite his reputation as a “climate warrior”.
Leonardo DiCaprio, 50, and his girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti, 26, were spotted arriving in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, from Los Angeles last Friday, January 10, alongside his father, George DiCaprio and his wife Peggy Ann Farrar.
The Titanic star and the 26-year-old model escaped the Southern California wildfires thousands of residents were under evacuation orders after the blaze broke out on Tuesday, January 7, in the exclusive Pacific Palisades community.
The fire spread quickly due to strong Santa Ana winds and drought conditions, and by 2 p.m. on Monday, January 13, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported that more than 12,000 structures and nearly 41,000 acres had burned.
24 people are estimated to have died, but that number is expected to rise as crews work through the rubble.
Some of DiCaprio’s colleagues such as Paris Hilton, Miles Teller, Adam Brody and Leighton Meester, struggled to cope with the loss of their homes, while the Wolf of Wall Street star was ridiculed online for his choice of transport to get out of the fire.
Social media slams DiCaprio and calls him a ‘hypocrite’
DiCaprio has been accused of being a “hypocrite” for his frequent use of private jets, which are a major source of carbon emissions that contribute to climate change.
An X user responded to a report about DiCaprio leaving Mexico and wrote: “Leonardo is a hypocrite”.
While DiCaprio has invested more than $80 million to fund sustainability and climate change-focused grants, one user claimed he was nothing more than a “scammer”.
The user stated: “Well, most Hollywood celebrities are just scammers, and whether they are good or bad actors, they do their part to deceive their audience.”
A third repeated: “The ‘climate warriors’ don’t give a damn about the real climate. They’re all frauds…”