Oprah Winfrey has shot down reports that she was paid $1m for a Kamala Harris campaign event, saying she was never “paid a personal fee”.
“Not true – I was paid nothing, ever,” said the TV star when buttonholed by a TMZ reporter on Monday and asked if she was paid for her endorsement.
The Washington Examiner had reported last week that Winfrey’s media company, Harpo Productions, had received the fee from Harris’s campaign for a star-studded live interview in September.
Federal Election Commission filings confirm that the Harris campaign sent Harpo Productions two $500,000 payments on October 15. Other outlets, however, went further, claiming that Winfrey had been paid personally for the appearance.
In a statement, Harpo Productions confirmed that the Harris campaign had paid for the costs of the town hall, without giving a specific figure.
But it said: “Oprah Winfrey was at no point during the campaign paid a personal fee, nor did she receive a fee from Harpo.”
Throughout the 2024 election Kamala Harris wildly outraised and outspent her opponent Donald Trump, picking up numerous celebrity endorsements – all in vain.
According to the Examiner, her campaign spent more than $15m on production fees for events, as well as more than $654m on advertising between July 22 and November 5.
The town hall with Oprah was a glamorous affair, featuring appearances by Meryl Streep, Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jennifer Lopez, and Julia Roberts.
The rally was streamed on Harris’s campaign YouTube channel and received over 1.2 million views in under 12 hours.
Winfrey interviewed Harris about abortion rights, gun violence, and her plans as president, with Harris claiming that she owns a gun and would shoot anyone who broke into her house.
“This is the moment for people who are tired of all of the bickering and all of the name calling, people who are exhausted by the craziness and the made up stories and the conspiracies,” Winfrey told the audience as she closed the event.
“You know that we can do better and that we deserve better. You know this. I know you know this… we’re better than this.”
Additional reporting by Alex Woodward.
This story was updated at 14:45 Pacific Time on Tuesday November 12, 2024, to add details about the payment to Harpo Productions.