When Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Oprah Winfrey announced a fund to support people impacted by the deadly fires in Maui, it’s clear they didn’t expect any backlash for what they viewed as a good deed. But lashed they were, as many argued that by asking the public to contribute to the organization, the monied pair were ducking their own social responsibilities. Over six weeks later, Johnson has addressed the controversy, telling his 389 million-plus Instagram following that he understood why they were angry.
Winfrey and Johnson launched the People’s Fund of Maui in August with $5 million, each, from their own bankrolls. In a video posted to Instagram, they asked for donations from others concerned about the plight of the fire-torn island’s residents, with Winfrey saying “We appreciate all the support that you can give. All these people who were calling me and texting me and messaging me and saying, ‘What do I do? What do I do?’ This is what you do.”
Winfrey, who has an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion, was surprised by what came next, she told CBS a few weeks later. Social media users shot back at the stars almost instantaneously, with scores asking why these extremely wealthy celebrities were asking for donations when they could likely fund the operation out of their own pockets.
“Math ain’t mathing with this one,” one comment beneath their announcement read. “You guys literally have so much money…. You can donate it and make it back within a year.” That remark received 10,000 “likes,” with other critical remarks racking up similar approval.
Speaking with CBS, Winfrey said that Johnson and she “thought, because both of us have given to charities our whole lives, that starting the fund with $10 million would be a great idea. We’ll do what Dolly did,” she said, referring to Dolly Parton‘s donor-backed My People Fund to support those suffering losses in Gatlinburg, Tenn.’s 2017 fires. The pair hoped to “get other people to give money and then we’ll put it directly into people’s bank accounts,” she said.
“So many people were calling, asking, ‘Where do we give our money to?’ So I thought, I’m going to give people a place to give it,” Winfrey said. “And then I got up the next morning, and I saw all of this vitriol, and I was, like, ‘Whoa, what happened here?’”
Johnson, however, remained silent on the backlash, but that changed Saturday. In a video that appears to have been shot poolside by Johnson, himself, the wrestler turned action star (with an estimated net worth of $800 million) first gives an update on the payouts, saying, “The thousands and thousands of survivors, the families, they have now, over the past couple of weeks, started to receive their first round of funds.”
He then turned to the controversy, saying, “When we first launched the fund, there was some backlash … I want to say that I get it, and I completely understand.”
“I could have been better, and next time, I will be better. I understand money ain’t falling out of the sky, and it’s not growing on trees, and there’s a lot of people out there who’s living paycheck to paycheck. And I get it, and I know what that’s like. I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck, seven bucks. I know.”
“And when you are living paycheck to paycheck—I don’t wanna speak for everybody. I’ll speak for myself, but I feel it’s connected. When you’re living paycheck to paycheck…I was easily pissed off, and I was frustrated. And the last thing you want to hear when you are living from paycheck to paycheck is someone asking you for money, especially when the person asking you for money already has a lot of money.”
“So I get it. I understand. I’d never launched a fund before, but I’m a quick study and lesson learned.”
Speaking in September, Winfrey said that “2,200 people have been cleared and verified” to receive money from the fund, and that number is expected to grow. “I still think it’s a really strong idea,” Winfrey said.
“Dolly Parton was right. Putting money directly in the hands of the people is a significant thing.”
Eve Batey
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