Gwyneth Paltrow Confesses LA Fires Caused Her to Drink 'Every Night'

Gwyneth Paltrow recently opened up about how the devastating LA fires in January pushed her to drink nightly as a way to cope. The actress shared her candid confession during an episode of The Goop Podcast, where she also tied the experience to her ongoing battle with menopause symptoms.

"I’m really in the thick of it right now, so I’m all over the place," Paltrow revealed. "But I noticed my symptoms are, like, pretty well under control unless, you know, in January when the fires were happening in LA. I’ve used alcohol for its purpose." She admitted to drinking every night during that time, describing alcohol as her way of "medicating."

Before the fires, she rarely drank—once a week at most—but January became a turning point. Paltrow described it as the first time she noticed a clear connection between her drinking and her worsening menopause symptoms. "My symptoms were completely out of control," she explained.

The fires, which devastated the Pacific Palisades and Altadena communities, deeply affected Paltrow. On Instagram, she shared her grief: "Our beloved Los Angeles … We are in deep grief for so many of our close friends who have lost everything." She reassured followers that her family, including her husband, Brad Falchuk, and her children, Apple and Moses, were safe.

Tragedy struck hard, with the Palisades Fire claiming 23,448 acres and destroying 6,833 homes and businesses. The Eaton Fire in Altadena burned 14,021 acres, destroying another 9,418 structures. Together, the fires claimed 29 lives, according to Cal Fire reports. Paltrow’s own Brentwood home was threatened but luckily spared. Interestingly, the same month, she sold the property for $22 million—down from the original $29.9 million listing price in May 2024.

In February, musicians rallied for the cause at the FireAid benefit concert in Los Angeles, held at the Intuit Dome and Kia Forum. The event aimed to rebuild communities shattered by the January fires, offering hope amid the ruins.

Paltrow’s candidness about her struggles adds a human dimension to the disaster’s toll. While it’s easy to imagine celebrities as unshakable, her raw honesty reminds us that even Hollywood icons aren’t immune to the profound stress of life’s curveballs.