Over 130 fires are currently burning in Australia, destroying flora, fauna, and the livelihoods of many communities.
A confirmed 24 people are dead, six more are missing, and we’re only at the start of summer.
The media coverage has been vast, with the fires making headlines internationally, and during the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards, the bushfires were at the forefront of celebrity agenda.
From Russell Crowe’s impassioned message (read by Jennifer Aniston, while he stayed in Australia to protect his family) to Cate Blanchett thanking our tireless volunteers — Hollywood’s heavyweights were quick to send their well-wishers down under.
If you’ve been on social media lately, you’ll see overwhelming support for how we can help those fighting the fires, those who have lost everything and how we can protect our own homes.
But it’s not just everyday folk who are making a difference, celebrities are using their platforms to pledge, fundraise and raise awareness to the devastation unfolding across the country.
And now, some big-name international and local acts have joined a huge line-up of megastars to raise money for national bushfire relief for Fire Fight Australia.
The concert will be held on Sunday 16 February at ANZ Stadium in Sydney and will be hosted by comedian and fundraising superstar, Celeste Barber.
Joining her on the main stage will be Queen (led by Adam Lambert), rock God Alice Cooper plus local stars Daryl Braithwaite (can you imagine that rendition of Horses), Guy Sebastian, John Farnham, Olivia Newton-John and Jessica Mauboy to name a few.
On top of the fundraiser, here is a list of all of the celebrities and sports stars who are donating to support bushfire relief efforts.
Celebrities Who Have Pledged Donations
Leonardo DiCaprio (and his environmental group, Earth Alliance) – $4,300,000 + his new initiative, the Australian Wildfire Fund has raised $300k and counting.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7Hjavhl4Xe/
Bette Midler – $500,000
I stand with you @PINK. I will match you, & while I'm at it, what do you think #RupertMurdoch will be doing for the country of his birth? He recently earned $71 billion from his sale of #20thCenturyFox to #Disney. HIS PAPERS ARE DENYING there is such a thing as #ClimateChange. https://t.co/rbxtevewDo
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) January 11, 2020
Elton John – $1,000,000
Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos – $1,000,000
Gordon Ramsay – $100,000
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7IUJuojvMN/
Pink – $500,000
Nicole and Keith Urban – $500,000
Kylie Jenner – $1,000,000
Chris Hemsworth and Family – $1,000,000
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7AG8XHp-wQ/
Russell Crowe – $105,000 + $400,00 from auctioning his Rabbitoh’s cap
Dami Im – $10,000
The Minogue Family –$500,000
Flume – $100,000
Justin Hemmes – $500,000
The Packer Family – $5,000,000
YouTuber Dakotaz – $20,000 (plus his fans have raised $125,000)
Rebel Wilson – $100,000
Rebecca Judd – $50,000
Celebrity Fundraisers
Celeste Barber
Current Tally: $50 million +
Barber is raising money for The Trustee for NSW Rural Fire Service & Brigades Donations Fund, a charity which helps people in remote and regional areas and victims of disasters.
You can donate here.
Ellen DeGeneres
Celebrity comedian DeGeneres has launched a GoFundMe page for the Australian bushfires that aims to raise $5 million.
The show’s longest running partner, Shutterfly, donated $100,000 to kick off the donations.
Current Tally: $300,000 +
You can donate here.
The Wiggles
The original Wiggles – Anthony Field, Murray Cook, Greg Page and Jeff Fatt, are putting on an over 18s event at all proceeds will go to the Australian Red Cross and WIRES Wildlife Rescue.
The event has sold out.
Stand Up For Bushfire Relief
Hannah Gadsby, Wil Anderson, Dave Hughes, Judith Lucy, Tommy Little, Joel Creasey, Cal Wilson, Nick Cody, Rhys Nicholson, Nazeem Hussain, Tom Ballard, Denise Scott, Frank Woodley (and more) will be putting on a comedy show in Melbourne to raise money.
You can buy tickets here.
Dacre Montgomery
The Stranger Things actor has organised a fundraiser on behalf of the Australian Red Cross.
Current Tally: $300,000 +
You can donate here.
Em Rusciano
The comedian has organised a Facebook fundraiser for The Trustee for NSW Rural Fire Service & Brigades.
Current Tally: $76,000 +
You can donate here.
Sam Wood and the 28 by Sam Wood Community
The former Bachelor is raising money in aid of the Australian Red Cross and every $5,000 raised, he will donate an additional $1,000.
Current Tally: $27 +
You can donate here.
Nick Kroll and Joel Edgerton
Comedian Kroll has joined forces with Joel Edgerton for the ##FightFireWithAFiver campaign, urging people to donate just five dollars (or more) to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service.
Kroll has also donated the proceeds from his stand-up shows in Sydney and Melbourne.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B64255SgNAh/
Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Ralph and Russo
Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) and Australian fashion brand Ralph and Russo, pledged to auction the suit she wore to the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards.
Charlie Clausen and Wil Anderson
Actor Clausen and comedian Anderson have set up a GoFundMe for their Thirty Odd Foot Of Podcast (TOFOP).
Current Tally: $71,000 +
You can donate here.
Sport Stars
Maria Sharapova – $25,000
Novak Djokovic – $25,000
Serena Williams – $43,000
The tennis superstar donated her ASB Classic win to the Australian bushfire relief.
Nick Kyrgios
The Australian tennis player will be donating $200 per ace he hits during his summer tournaments.
I’m kicking off the support for those affected by the fires. I’ll be donating $200 per ace that I hit across all the events I play this summer. #MoreToCome #StayTuned
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) January 2, 2020
Ash Barty
Australian tennis player, Barty, pledged to donate all of her prize money from the Brisbane International tennis tournament to the Red Cross’s bushfire appeal.
If she wins, the donation will be $383,000.
Shane Warne
The former Australian test cricketer has put his prized baggy green up for auction with fans a chance to bid on Warne’s Test cap until Friday night.
According to the ABC, the bidding was as high as $315,000 for the cap at 7.30am on Tuesday January 7.
Great areas from Warnie. @Shanewarne doing his part to help those in need during this bushfire crisis.
You can bid here: https://t.co/O2S5nAgSOe#9WWOS #Cricket pic.twitter.com/iVW3EROerM
— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) January 6, 2020
How You Can Help
If you can, please consider donating to one of the organisations below — your donation will directly benefit bushfire victims, communities and animals affected.
Donate to the NSW Rural Fire Service
Donate to the Victorian Bushfire Relief
Donate to the Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund
Donate to the Salvation Army Disaster Appeal
Donate to St Vincent de Paul Society Bushfire Appeal
Donate to WIRES