Tyler Perry Denounces ‘Appalling’ Insurance Company Cancellations

Tyler Perry is calling out insurance company cancellations amid the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires, saying the policies are “appalling” and indicative of “pure greed.”

As a number of blazes ravaged communities in sprawling Southern California — the largest of them being the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire — some of those who had lost their homes were doubly victimized upon discovering that several insurers, like State Farm General and Chubb, had either chosen not to renew policies or to stop writing new ones, especially for high-value homes with high wildfire risk.

“Watching a daughter use a garden hose to try and protect her 90-year-old parents’ home because their insurance was canceled was just gut-wrenching to me,” The Six Triple Eight filmmaker wrote on Instagram yesterday. “Does anyone else find it appalling that insurance companies can take billions of dollars out of communities for years and then, all of a sudden, be allowed to cancel millions of policies for the very people they became rich on? People who have paid premiums all of their lives are left with nothing because of pure greed.”

As thousands across L.A. begin the slow, frustrating and daunting process of filing insurance claims, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara recently announced a ban on insurance companies from canceling or not renewing polices for homeowners affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires for one year, backdated to Oct. 9.

“Your insurance company should do the right thing and retain you as a valued policyholder,” Lara said, outlining that the ban covers a 90-day period between Oct. 9 and Jan. 7, when the Palisades and Eaton fires began.

In the Pacific Palisades, about 10% of homeowners and fire insurance policies were not renewed from 2020 to 2022. In Altadena during the same period, the figure was roughly 8%.

Perry also said in his post that he is “in the process of trying to figure out what steps to take to do all I can to help as many as I can,” adding that he is “keeping everyone in my prayers.”