‘Sad’ Oprah Winfrey was shocked over ‘vitriol’ of Maui fire donation backlash
Oprah Winfrey is breaking her silence and responding to her critics.
Earlier this month, the former talk show host and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson faced backlash after asking fans to donate money to help those affected by the Maui wildfires — despite having a combined net worth of more than $2.8 billion.
During an interview on “CBS Mornings,” Oprah, 69, opened up about the matter while speaking with best friend Gayle King. “I was so excited about it, and then I got up the next morning, and I saw all of this vitriol, and I was, like, ‘Whoa, what happened here?’” she said on Tuesday. “It made me sad that we are at this state in our country.”
Winfrey revealed that she was inspired by Dolly Parton, who organized a support fund to aid victims of wildfires in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in 2017.
Winfrey and Johnson, 51, collectively kicked in $10 million to launch the People’s Fund of Maui, but then jointly asked their fans on Instagram and TikTok to donate the rest.
Fans complained they were already living “paycheck-to-paycheck,” and that the uber-rich celebrities should dole out more of their own money toward relief efforts.
“I would but I’m broke…you two got this though!” Carolina Moreno wrote in the comment section on TikTok under the August 31 video.
“Billionaire asking for money from the poor, what a joke,” another outraged fan commented on Winfrey’s follow-up video on Instagram.
“You have billions. You could donate $100 million and still be as wealthy as before donating. YOU give the money,” Maribel Rubio criticized Winfrey.
“This should be a private message between you and your billionaire mates,” another critic wrote. “It’s so outrageous that you are pleading for money.”
Another wrote: “How is the richest woman in the world asking for money? Make it make sense.”
After acknowledging that she was blindsided by the “vitriol,” Winfrey said she’s still standing behind the idea for the fund.
“We’re going to create something and I still think it’s a really strong idea,” she said.
Winfrey and Johnson are just the latest celebs to face backlash for their response to the fires in Hawaii.
Last month, Stevie Nicks, 75, was slammed as “self-centered” and “tone deaf” for her Instagram post about how the tragedy affected her niece’s vacation.
