Oprah Winfrey denies $1 million payment rumour for Kamala Harris town hall event

Oprah Winfrey has refuted claims that she was paid $1 million to host a town hall on behalf of Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, calling the allegations “not true” The talk show icon took to social media and in a short conversation to clarify that she was not compensated for her involvement in the event.
The rumors originated from a report by the Washington Examiner, which stated that Harris’ campaign had paid Oprah’s production company, Harpo Productions, $1 million for hosting the “United for America” virtual town hall in September. The event, which took place outside Detroit, was designed to rally support for Harris, with Oprah moderating a discussion about key issues like abortion rights and immigration.
In response to the report, Winfrey firmly denied any personal financial gain from the event. “I was paid nothing — ever,” she told a TMZ reporter on Monday, stressing that she did not accept any personal fee for her role in the town hall.
In a detailed comment shared on Instagram, Winfrey elaborated, stating, “My time and energy was my way of supporting the campaign.” She further explained that Harpo Productions was asked to provide necessary production elements, such as set design, cameras, lighting, and crew. Winfrey clarified that while production costs were covered, she personally did not receive any compensation.
“I was not paid a dime. My time and energy was my way of supporting the campaign,” she wrote in the comments section of the Shade Room’s Instagram post about the rumors. “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,” Oprah added. “I did not take any personal fee. However the people who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story.”
Harpo Productions also confirmed to Variety that while the Harris campaign paid for the production costs associated with the event, Oprah herself was not paid a personal fee. The production costs, which included expenses for the live-streamed town hall, were covered by the campaign, but no details were provided on the exact amount paid for these services.
The “United for America” event, held on September 19, featured Oprah interviewing Kamala Harris about pressing issues like immigration and abortion rights. The event also included messages from various celebrities such as Meryl Streep, Chris Rock, and Jennifer Lopez. The town hall was a part of Harris’ broader efforts to engage voters and address key concerns ahead of the election.
Oprah has long been a vocal supporter of Democratic candidates, and her endorsement of Kamala Harris during the campaign was no exception. Winfrey also joined Harris at her final rally in Philadelphia on the eve of Election Day, where she delivered a message of hope and unity, urging voters to choose “values and integrity” over hate.