Was Oprah Winfrey paid off to support Kamala?
The renowned media figure and former talk-show host is addressing rumors suggesting she was compensated with $1 million for her involvement in Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. Winfrey played a key role by hosting a high-profile town hall event, known as the “Unite for America” rally, which took place in September.
In a statement issued by Winfrey’s production company, Harpo Productions, and provided to USA TODAY, a spokesperson clarified on Tuesday that Winfrey “at no point during the campaign paid a personal fee, nor did she receive a fee from Harpo,” explaining that Harris’ campaign covered the event’s production expenses.
Winfrey also took to social media to clarify the misinformation, commenting on an Instagram post that included paparazzi footage of her, where she firmly denied the rumor. The comment’s authenticity was confirmed by Winfrey’s publicist, Chelsea Hettrick.
“Usually I am reluctant to respond to rumors in general, but these days I realize that if you don’t stop a lie, it just gets bigger,” Winfrey wrote. “I was not paid a dime. My time and energy was my way of supporting the campaign.”
The former host of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” further stated that Harpo was asked to provide essential production resources, including “set design, lights, cameras, microphones, crew, producers, and every other item necessary (including the benches and chairs we sat on) to put on a live production.”
“I did not take any personal fee,” Winfrey concluded. “However the people who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story.”
{Matzav.com}