Actor Dan Aykroyd has described living in California as akin to "medieval times" due to the stark contrast between wealth and widespread homelessness, particularly in Santa Monica. In a resurfaced clip from "The Adam Carolla Show," Aykroyd, who was born in Canada, praised his home country for its peace and harmony.
Aykroyd recounted a conversation with a friend from Israel who asked him what it was like to live in a land without war. "Here I am driving through the bucolic countryside... and we're in Canada," Aykroyd said. "We're driving to the drugstore to get an ice cream, and he tells me, 'What it is like to live in a country without war?' I thought to myself, ‘Boy, do I take things for granted, you know, around this place.’"
He further elaborated on the situation in California, noting the presence of "60,000 homeless" in Santa Monica, despite the area's beauty and affluence. "It's beautiful there, beautiful houses and beautiful shops and lovely wide boulevards and 60,000 homeless," he stated. "So the underside and the overside will always, always be there."
Aykroyd expressed that the current state of affairs necessitates constant vigilance. "I drive very carefully in the car. I don't drive prison hours at night, have a gated place to live... lock up at night. Bring my family close, whereas really I would like to take my family and let them run in the park at 1 in the morning. But, no. We have to be so guarded now."
Carolla echoed Aykroyd's sentiments, citing the example of celebrities purchasing multi-million dollar homes in Malibu while having to drive through homeless encampments to reach them. Aykroyd suggested that such wealthy individuals might be motivated to help alleviate the crisis, stating, "Thankfully, knowing people like that, they're going to drive through their driveway, see that, and immediately start to act to try to alleviate and help in some way, because that's the kind of people they are."