Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson (better known as The Rock) became the target of criticism after sharing a video on social media announcing the creation of an initiative to raise funds for the Maui fires and help those most affected.
The stars explained that after seeing the aftermath of the devastating wildfires, they decided to create the “People’s Fund of Maui” to put money “directly into the pockets of those affected.”
According to the announcement, any adult who lived in the affected area and was forcibly displaced by the incident is “entitled to receive $ 1,200 per month” from the fund to help during the recovery period.
Winfrey and Johnson kicked off the campaign with a $10 million donation and hope others will support the cause. “The fund that we created… it is a clean direct from you directly to their hands,” Johnson said, noting that the process is practically immediate.
Winfrey, for her part, explained that the intention is that the most affected families can receive the money and decide for themselves exactly what they need and how they will prioritize the donations to get ahead.
Users of the networks criticize the fund
After the announcement of the initiative, many people on social media criticized the Hollywood stars for asking ordinary people to donate when they are wealthy enough to help the residents of the island.
“Oprah Winfrey is worth $2.5 billion and Dwayne the Rock Johnson is worth $800 million and these two have the audacity to asked the everyday citizens to donate to their fundraisers to help the people of Maui,” one man criticized through X.
Another woman posted a video complaining that Winfrey and Johnson didn’t choose to scrape together the necessary money between themselves and their other affluent friends.
Another video that went viral suggests that the stars’ new initiative is a scam.
