Oprah Winfrey responded to online backlash against her fundraising efforts for the victims of the fire in Lahaina on the island of Maui in Hawaii, saying, “It made me sad that we’re at this state in our country.”
the People’s Fund of Maui in an Instagram post on Aug. 31, promising to give $1,200 monthly directly to Lahaina residents. Both Ms. Winfrey and Mr. Johnson each committed to donate $5 million of their own money.It was that ask that incensed the virtual public, with a slew of online critics asking why Ms. Winfrey didn’t just give more of her own money as opposed to soliciting donations from people much poorer than herself. Ms. Winfrey’s net worth is $2.8 billion, according to Forbes.
In a Tuesday episode of “CBS Mornings,” co-hosted by editor-at-large of the Oprah Daily magazine and long-time friend of Ms. Winfrey Gayle King, Ms. WinfreyMs. Winfrey also noted that Ms. King’s son had sparked the entire endeavor by sending her an article about a similar initiative undertaken by country star Dolly Parton after fires in her hometown of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in 2017.
“I was so excited and I got up the next morning and I saw all of this vitriol and I was like, ‘Whoa, what happened here?’” Ms. Winfrey said, adding that a $10 million commitment is a “good night” for typical fundraising events. Ms. Winfrey also described her critics as having “terrorized and vilified” her through their “attacks, lies and conspiracy theories.”As of Tuesday, 2,200 people had been verified to receive money from the People’s Fund of Maui.“They are giving Oprah more air time playing the victim than the real victims. SAD!” @nickeltongRegarding speculation that Ms. Winfrey had bought her land on Maui on the cheap and had hired private security to keep people away, a spokesperson for Ms.
“The land is not undervalued; it is an unbuildable area with no water rights. The land is dedicated to open space and to planting trees to help restore the watershed. … the lands have been traditionally used for grazing and has a lack of water. … It’s very steep land, high elevation without roads,” the spokesperson told Newsweek.• Brad Matthews can be reached at
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