‘And make it back within a year’ Dwayne Johnson and Oprah Winfrey faces backlash for seeking Muai funds from public
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Oprah Winfrey started a fund to help people in Maui, Hawaii, who were hurt by the wildfires. But some people were upset and wondered why these rich celebrities couldn’t give more of their own money instead of asking regular folks for help. Here’s what happened.
Dwayne and Oprah were criticized for asking for funds
In August, big wildfires burned many parts of Maui, causing lots of damage and sadly, taking the lives of 115 people. Some are still missing. As of September 3, the fire in Lahaina is under control, and the ones in Olinda and Kula are almost contained, according to a statement from the County of Maui.
On August 31, Dwayne Johnson and Oprah posted a video on Instagram to tell their many followers about the “People’s Fund of Maui.” They made it to collect money for the people in Maui who were affected by the wildfires. Oprah said they got the idea from Dolly Parton’s good deeds, and they believed people weren’t sure how to help the folks in Maui. So, they made this fund where anyone could donate, and the money would go straight to the people who needed it.
In the video, they said every grown-up person who lost their home because of the wildfires in Lahaina and Kula could get $1,200 every month to help them get through this hard time. They shared a link where people who needed the money could ask for it.
They started the campaign with $10 million and asked for more donations. Many people commented on the post, and lots of them didn’t like the idea of rich celebrities asking regular folks for money. One comment said “Math ain’t mathing with this one. You guy’s literally have so much money…. You can donate it and make it back within a year,” and it got thousands of likes.
They also shared the same video on TikTok, where people could donate directly. But there were similar negative comments there too. People thought Oprah and Dwayne should give more from their own pockets or ask their rich friends to help instead of asking people who might not have much money.
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Oprah thanked people who donated the money
Oprah is worth $2.5 billion, and she has many properties in Hawaii. Dwayne Johnson is the highest-paid actor in the world and is worth $270 million.
On September 2, Oprah posted another video on Instagram and thanked the 10,000 people who had donated. She said lots of wildfire-affected people had asked for help, and they were checking to make sure everything was okay so they could send them the money. Oprah and Dwayne haven’t talked about the negative comments, and they didn’t respond when someone asked them about it.
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