Oprah Winfrey has publicly denied reports that she received a $1 million payment for endorsing Kamala Harris in a campaign event. On November 11, 2024, Oprah addressed these claims in a video recorded by TMZ, where she stated, “Not true. I was paid nothing, ever.” This statement was made following allegations that the Harris campaign had paid a significant sum to Oprah’s production company, Harpo Productions, for a live-streaming event titled “Unite for America.”
Oprah Winfrey is asked if she was paid for her endorsement of Kamala Harris for president.
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) November 12, 2024
Winfrey denied ever being paid, but FEC filings say she received two payments of $500k each.
Why would she deny this? pic.twitter.com/Mk66dFl7mE
Harpo Productions clarified that while the campaign did cover production costs for the event, Oprah herself was not paid a personal fee nor did she receive any fee from Harpo for her participation.
The event, which took place on September 19, 2024, outside Detroit, Michigan, featured various high-profile figures and was aimed at rallying support for Harris’s presidential campaign. The clarification came in response to media reports suggesting that the payment was for Oprah’s endorsement of Harris, which she explicitly refuted in her statement on X and in the TMZ video.
However, the FEC documents reveal she was paid a massive amount of money for this show. Did none of it stick to Oprah?
FEC records show two separate payments of $500,000 from the Harris campaign to Oprah’s production company in October. Thanks for playing. https://t.co/oa6QADe8F6 pic.twitter.com/OiNHt4FCvS
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) November 12, 2024
The campaign spending scandal surrounding Kamala Harris has taken a dramatic turn for the worse.
— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) November 12, 2024
With her campaign now buried in $20 million of debt, revelations are surfacing that she misled donors to keep funds coming in.
Allegations are swirling that her campaign resembles… pic.twitter.com/TJcuv3Vpnz