Y&R’s Tracey E. Bregman Opens up About Losing Her Home in the California Wildfires
The devastating wildfires ravaging California have left thousands of people homeless, and THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS’ Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren) is sadly one of them. The actress shared the terrible news on Nov. 11 when she posted a photo on her Instagram of her home in flames. “Last picture of my house,” she wrote. “Thank God we are all safe. I have no other words. I’m just numb for us all.”
Bregman also appeared on the Nov. 12 episode of THE TALK to discuss the emotional loss. “It’s been surreal,” she admitted. “It’s kind of hard to wrap your mind around. It’s hard to believe all the family celebrations and everything that I had in there is gone. I woke up actually thinking, I actually don’t have anything from my past. I have no notes or cards or anything like that. But I got my kids out, I got my animals out… we’re alive. When you think of everything that could have happened, I just feel so grateful for everyone who has come forward and their love and support… that’s what I hold onto.”
The Y&R star was able to save some items before they were forced to evacuate their Malibu home. “This is my third evacuation since I moved there in 2004,” Bregman revealed. “And we’ve gotten close, but it’s never been where we actually had this kind of damage. I had just had the house photographed and I was told that I needed to get rid of all my personal photographs and picture frames. So everything was boxed and I was able to get the man who works for me to put those in his car, get the other dogs out, grab my Emmy… My father’s NAACP Award did not make it out. And he passed away about a year-and-a-half ago, so I’m missing that.” Bregman broke down in tears as she spoke about losing her children’s baby books and the letters she’d written them as children.
Footage of Bregman’s home aired on THE TALK. (Photo Credit: CBS)
Looking at aerial footage of what’s left of her family home, Bregman still couldn’t believe her eyes. “It’s very fast,” she marveled of the wildfires. “And it’s so interesting how it kind of picks places. Because my neighbor doesn’t even have a scorch mark.”
Bregman is just grateful that she and her loved ones are all safe, despite the future being uncertain. “I honestly don’t know where to live,” she sighed. “What to do.” As for whether she would return to Malibu, the actress admitted she was still trying to wrap her brain around the idea. “You have to understand, to rebuild and everything is gonna be three to five years,” she explained. “It’s so far down the road. Luckily, I just bought a little place in Nashville and I think my whole family, we’re gonna go spend Thanksgiving with my friends. They invited us, so we’re gonna go.”
Please join us in sending love to Bregman and her entire family at this difficult time, and if you would like to help donate to the California Wildfires disaster relief fund, you can visit the Red Cross website and make sure that you’ve selected “California Wildfires” under “I Want to Support.”
For more on your favorite Y&R stars, keep reading the CBS edition of Soaps In Depth magazine.
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