Adam Carolla Blasts ‘Bullsh*t DEI’ After Female LA Fire Commissioners Resign

Comedian Adam Carolla rebuked diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) on “The Adam Carolla Show” on Sunday after several female members of Los Angeles’ Board of Fire Commissioners resigned.

Four out of five members are leaving amid scrutiny of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) over its blunders in management of the Palisades fire, the Los Angeles Times reported on March 18. Carolla said on his show that appointing people based on their identities for positions was deadly. (RELATED: ‘My Hometown Feels Like Armageddon’: LA-Area Town Reduced To Ash Leaving Many With Only ‘Clothes On Their Backs’) 

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“You can appoint as many ceremonial bullshit, doesn’t-do-anything jobs as you fucking want, but at some point when it comes down to fire panel or commission, shit burns down,” Carolla said. “And you need competent people in those positions. And they can be women of color, but most often aren’t. And we need the board to represent the best we have, not the diversification of whatever. And this is the fucking problem. It’s not a racist thought. It’s just a meritocracy thought.”

“Now listen, all the ceremonial bullshit jobs you guys create, knock yourself out with the fat black lesbians. Go nuts,” he added. “But when it comes to real important jobs, then we need boring white guys or fat black lesbians who are really good at fire prevention … Eventually, people die with your bullshit DEI stuff … look, you let the chick onto the campus of Harvard, even though her SAT scores weren’t as good as the Asian chick and toss the Asian chick off, nobody dies. But you give them these kind of important positions and yes, people get killed.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass appointed three men and one woman to replace the four women who left, according to the LA Times. The sole remaining commissioner after the resignations was also a woman.

The commissioners’ role is to give civilian oversight to the LAFD, but they have frequently been silent amid important conversations regarding the Palisades fire, the LA Times reported.

Bass’ office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

The Palisades Fire broke out in January 2025, ultimately killing 12 individuals and prompting backlash against city leadership, including Bass and former LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley. Bass announced Crowley’s firing just one month after the fire, citing her failure to deploy firefighters to both the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, where a second deadly fire had erupted.

However, Crowley alleged that Bass orchestrated a campaign to shift blame for the Palisades Fire onto her in a February legal claim.

The LAFD committed substantial resources to DEI initiatives before the Palisades and Altadena fires, including implementing an internal “racial equity plan” and subjecting employees to diversity training. Crowley was “the first female and LGBTQ Fire Chief in the LAFD” and a staunch supporter of DEI initiatives.

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