Naomi Watts Reveals She Was Stuck at Her L.A. Home Alone During ‘Terrifying’ California Wildfires—While Husband Billy Crudup Was Miles Away in New York

Naomi Watts has opened up about the “terrifying” few weeks she spent in Los Angeles amid the California wildfires, revealing how she ended up alone inside her $6 million Brentwood mansion after her husband, Billy Crudup, flew back to New York shortly before the deadly blazes broke out.

The 56-year-old “Birdman” star has admitted she was consumed by “fear” while watching the Palisades Fire tearing toward her home—all while her 56-year-old spouse was miles away at their Manhattan property.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal about her experiences, Watts detailed the panic that set in when plumes of smoke began taking over the L.A. skyline around her home, signaling the spread of the first of several deadly fires that erupted over the course of a week, claiming the lives of 28 people, per Cal Fire.

Watts revealed she “waited in fear” in the empty home, which was on the edge of the evacuation zone, desperately hoping that the flames wouldn’t reach her property.

“Terrifying is how I’d describe the past couple of weeks in Los Angeles,” she shared. “My house here was on the edge of evacuation zones as fires neared, and we lost power.”

Although Watts and Crudup live primarily in their Manhattan home, the actress said that they had spent several months residing in her “old L.A. home” while they were both busy filming in the city.

However, Crudup’s project wrapped before Watts’—so he made his way back to the Big Apple, while she stayed behind to finish working.

“My husband and I live full-time in New York, but for the past few months we were staying in my old house in L.A., which is part Spanish and part contemporary,” she shared.

“When Billy finished filming, before the fires started, he returned to our duplex loft in Manhattan. I remained to complete my filming.”

Alone, Watts began preparing for every eventuality, explaining that she readied her property as best she could to withstand damage from the flames, before gathering together her most essential and significant items to take with her in the event she needed to evacuate.

“As the threat intensified in L.A., I took down all my outdoor umbrellas and trimmed back a tree in my backyard as a precaution,” she said.

“Then I packed up all my documents and valuables and put them in a safe space.”

Having done all she could to ready herself, Watts was forced to simply wait as the flames tore through her surrounding neighborhoods, spreading out from Pacific Palisades through Malibu and into Santa Monica, burning tens of thousands of acres.

In the end, Watts says her home was spared from the devastating destruction so many other L.A. residents have had to face—noting that the flames “didn’t advance” close enough to her property to require an evacuation.

“Thankfully, I was fortunate, though the threat isn’t over yet,” she added. “What I experienced is nothing compared with the families who lost homes and what they’re going through now. My heart goes out to them.”

Watts left California and the deadly fires behind on Jan. 12, when she headed back to New York City to reunite with her spouse—with whom she tied the knot to in 2023—taking her adorable dog with her.

After she left, she shared a snap of her home on Instagram, which was surrounded by plumes of smoke.

She captioned the photo: “My heart is breaking — thinking of everyone affected by these horrible fires. It’s scary out there. Stay safe, guys.”

Although it is unknown what Watts was filming in L.A., her current projects include many various series, such as “All’s Fair,” “The Housewife,” “Harmonia,” “Emmanuelle,” and the second season of Netflix’s “The Watcher.”

Meanwhile, her spouse was recently cast as Pastor Manders in the play “Ghosts,” which begins previews in Manhattan’s Lincoln Center Theater on Feb. 13.

The actress shares children Sasha, 17 and Kai, 16, with her former partner of 11 years, Liev Schreiber, whom she split with in 2016.

Although Watts did not reveal which Los Angeles property she was staying in when the fires broke out, she is still understood to own a sprawling five-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom abode in Brentwood, which she purchased for $4.2 million back in 2004.

According to Realtor.com®, that same home is now worth upward of $6.3 million, however.

Much like her description, the home blends contemporary and Spanish architecture, and offers many amenities, including a “secluded pool area” and elegant interiors.

The actress lived in the property with her former partner Schreiber for at least a few years—although she has made multiple attempts to sell the home, listing it for just a hair under $6 million back in 2010, before switching gears and offering it up as a rental.

Her latest rental listing was removed in January 2024—meaning the house may well have been vacant for her and Crudup to use while they were filming.

Watts holds the keys to a stunning Manhattan loft as well as her L.A. home.

Her NYC loft marked her second buy in New York; she previously owned a space with her ex. She sold that home in 2015 for $5.85 million.

Following the sale, the former couple forked over $5.4 million for a Montauk home; however, it is unclear if they still own the home or which of the exes resides there.

Devastation swept through California beginning Jan. 7, when the Palisades Fire began burning up acres upon acres, before multiple other blazes ignited throughout and around the city, incinerating entire homes and communities, while also claiming the lives of 28 people, according to Cal Fire.

Over 40,000 acres have been burned by the flames, with firefighters still working to contain some of the Los Angeles area fires.

Watts joined the growing list of stars who were impacted by the California wildfires, with Jessica Simpson, Tyra Banks, Paris Hilton, Matt Damon, Miles Teller, Billy Crystal, and Adam Brody and Leighton Meester being just some of the A-listers who lost or were forced to evacuate their homes.