Oprah Winfrey has addressed recent reports that claimed she was paid $1 million to host a town hall event for Kamala Harris in September. When approached by a TMZ reporter in Santa Barbara, Oprah quickly denied the allegations, saying, “Not true. I was paid nothing. Ever.”
This comes after the Washington Examiner reported that Oprah’s company, Harpo Productions, received $1 million from Harris’ campaign in October, following the town hall event she hosted. Oprah, however, made it clear that she did not want to discuss the election or President-elect Trump’s victory, adding, “I’m not talking about the election.”
Despite Oprah’s denial, there have been reports about the Harris campaign’s large spending throughout the race. The campaign reportedly spent $1.2 billion in total, with funds going towards various high-profile events and activities. For instance, Harris’ appearance on Call Her Daddy with Alex Cooper was said to have required a six-figure budget for building a custom set. Additionally, Harris’ campaign spent millions on event production and social media influencer recruitment to boost her visibility.
The 2024 election campaign has broken records in terms of spending, with the Harris campaign and affiliated political action committees raising over $4.2 billion. This made it the most expensive presidential race ever. A significant portion of this money was used for events and social media efforts aimed at increasing Harris’ appeal, outspending Donald Trump’s campaign by a large margin.
