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‘This is Us’ Star Milo Ventimiglia and Pregnant Wife Devastated as LA Fires Destroy Their Home

Published on: January 10, 2025 at 10:49 AM
By Shrobana Rakshit
Milo Ventimiglia visiting the ruins of his family home.
Milo Ventimiglia visiting the ruins of his family home. (Cover Image Source: Twitter | Series Brasil)

There are times when life imitates art, which turns out to be the best experience. However, for Milo Ventimiglia, it has turned out to be a sobering experience. Milo, who starred in NBC’s This Is Us and played the character of Jack, and his pregnant wife, model Jarah Mariano, recently lost their family home. The recent wildfire, which is still impacting areas in Los Angeles, destroyed thousands of houses.

CBS Evening News reported on Thursday that Ventimiglia returned to the remains of his family property in the Malibu neighborhood. The report also noted that Ventimiglia was one of the first residents who witnessed the damage in the area. He saw the remains while he was driving through the Malibu stretch. Every house seemed to be destroyed completely by the Palisades fire. Milo already realised that his house was destroyed, however this was the first time he actually witnessed the devastation.

Ventimiglia said it was “Heavy,” to have experienced such an incident with own eyes. He choked up immediately and said, “You start thinking about, man, it hits you so quick. You start thinking about all the memories in different parts of the house and what-not, and then you see your neighbors’ houses and everything around and your heart just breaks.”

The Opposite Sex star and his wife saw their house burn down via security cameras. He remarked, “There’s a kind of shock moment where you’re going, ‘Oh this is real and this is happening.” He continued, “And then at a certain point you turn it off because what good is it to continue watching. We kind of accepted the loss.”

Jarah, the actor’s pregnant wife has her due date within the next few days. The couple immediately evacuated the Malibu home and tried taking as many of their belongings as possible. They had already set up a crib for their baby, but weren’t able to take it. They also weren’t able to carry many things from the nursery they had set up. 

This Is Us fans noted an eerie parallel between Ventimiglia’s situation and what his character, Jack Pearson, experienced. In the hit series, Jack died due to a heart attack caused by heavy smoke. Audiences saw him pass away while trying to save his family and dog from a house fire. The American actor, too, acknowledged the turn of events. “It’s not lost on me, life imitating art,” he exclaimed.

However, though he has lost his home, Ventimiglia is grateful that his family is safe. He said, “We got good friends and we got good people we’re working with, and we’ll make do.” He further added, “Wife and baby and dog, most important.”

Milo became an advocate of fire safety after the storyline of This Is Us. CBS News reported that the actor is now hoping to be more involved in wildfire safety awareness. He also intends to find ways to give back to the community.

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