Oprah Winfrey Clarifies Rumor She Was Paid $1 Million To Endorse Kamala Harris In 2024 Election

Many people took issue with how many celebrities endorsed Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election, with some suggesting they were paid to do so. Oprah Winfrey got caught in the crossfire and clarified the rumors.

A fan stepped up to defend her from the rumors, writing, “Y’all thinking Oprah’s support can be purchased is beyond me.” The 70-year-old television legend responded, expressing her gratitude and revealing specific details about her arrangement with the Harris campaign.

“Thank you so much for saying this. I want to high five you and give you a hug,” she wrote, before admitting she usually does not respond to rumors on the internet. “These days I realize that if you don’t stop a lie, it just gets bigger. I was not paid a dime. My time and energy was my way of support the campaign.”

Oprah Winfrey continued, explaining how her production company Harpo got involved and those workers were the ones compensated.

“For the live-streaming event in September, my production company Harpo was asked to bring in 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,” she said. “I did not take any personal fee. However the people who worked on the production needed to be paid. And were. End of story.”

Initially, rumors circulated that she was paid $1 million to endorse Kamala Harris and appear at the Unite For America event in Detroit back in September. She previously spoke on Harris’ behalf at the Democratic National Convention in August and appeared at her final campaign rally before the election. Her production team corroborated her story in a statement to Variety. “Oprah Winfrey was at no point during the campaign paid a personal fee,” they said. “Nor did she receive a fee from Harpo.”