Celebrity chef José Andrés has praised his “friends” Meghan Markle and Prince Harry for volunteering during the L.A. wildfires.
In an interview with People published on Saturday, January 19, Andrés, 55, said he was “glad” to see the couple “show up like so many others.”
“I mean, listen, I consider them friends,” Andrés told the outlet. “I know they are in the spotlight — not in America, but in Britain — and what I can tell you from what I know is that they don’t have to, but they decide to do it.”
Andrés is the founder of World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit organization that meals to communities in need in times of war or in the wake of a natural disaster. The organization is a longtime partner of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Archewell Foundation.
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Markle, 43, and Harry, 40, recently partnered with Andrés and World Central Kitchen to assist with the ongoing wildfire relief efforts. The couple also donated items to those affected in the Pacific Palisades area, where the fires first broke out on January 7.
“Probably, you feel like it’s better that nobody does anything, because nobody criticizes you for showing up — but the amazing thing is that they show up,” Andrés said.
Markle and Harry were previously criticized by Justine Bateman, who accused the couple of volunteering for a “photo op.”
“Meghan Markle and Harry are no better than ambulance chasers. What a repulsive ‘photo op’ they achieved. They are ‘touring the damage’? Are they politicians now?” Bateman, 58, wrote on X on January 11.
Andrés didn’t address Bateman’s comments specifically during the interview with People.
However, he said anybody who volunteers “will always forever get my applause and my recognition, ” regardless of whether or not they are a celebrity.
He continued: “The hugs I saw [them] give to the people that recognize them and even the people that don’t recognize them — it’s people that just want somebody to listen to them, and give them a hug.”
“The joy they bring to the people, the joy they bring to the first responders, or the people that lost everything… and to see those celebrities giving hugs and crying with the people when some of those celebrities lost their homes — they could be home, but they are there,” he said.
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When the fires first started, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex opened their home in Montecito, California — around 80 miles from the blaze — to friends who had been affected.
Markle also postponed the release date of her upcoming Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, which was initially scheduled to drop on January 15. It will now premiere on March 4.
“I’m thankful to my partners at Netflix for supporting me in delaying the launch, as we focus on the needs of those impacted by the wildfires in my home state of California,” Markle said in a statement issued on January 12.
