There have been many unverified claims that Kamala Harris’s campaign paid heavily for celebrity endorsements following her defeat to Donald Trump who was said to have spent only $750 million.
The claims say that the vice president spent a whopping $1 billion for her campaign and over $15 million was spent in payments to top celebrities many of which appeared in her rallies or she appeared on their TV show.
According to the Washington Examiner, Harris spent millions on celebrity-filled events which saw the likes of Lady Gaga, Katty Perry, Beyonce’s timed-bait rally, and Oprah Winfrey’s Town Hall, amongst others.
The list below shows the alleged sum paid to each celebrity/public figure.
$10 to Beyonce
$5M to Megan Thee Stallion
$2.3M to Lizzo
$1.8M to Eminem
$1M to Oprah
An alleged Harris campaign document showed $1 million paid in two tranches of $500k each to Ophra Winfrey’s company – Harpo Productions, with the details of the spender and description given as “Harris For President” and “Event Production” respectively.
Ophra however, denied receiving any payment (a million dollars) to endorse Harris, when she was asked by TMZ. “Not True”! She said firmly.
Millions were also said to have been paid out to various marketing and advertising agencies and event managers. Harris’s allegedly extravagant campaign spending also included a 6-figure payment for a customized set so she could appear on Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy podcast”, which was filmed in a hotel room, and a likely $450k per day advert on huge Las Vegas Sphere (video below).
According to Newsweek, FactCheck.org inquired about claims and a told by a Harris agent that it was not true. Politico also said there was no evidence to back up the viral claims, and Beyonce’s manager said the claims were ridiculous.
Though the alleged payments might not necessarily be for endorsement, payments for celebrity appearances might be to cover expenditures like logistics, hotel, etc. However, the huge sum involvement in this case left many thinking otherwise.
Harris raised $1 billion in donations within a few months to support her quest for the presidency – the most raised in the history of the United States. According to the Federal Election Commission, her campaign had spent over $900 million as at October 16.
According to Politico bureau chief Christopher Cadelago, she had a $20 million debt at the end of the election and there were other unverified reports that she owed salaries to her staff.
The public felt she focused on spending the money hastily on publicity, rather than addressing core issues on immigration, security, and inflation.
While the talks of celebrity payment for endorsement lingers, here is a full list of the top celebs that reportedly either showed their disdain for Trump or supported Harris:
- Beyonce
- Taylor Swift
- Stevie Nicks
- Willie Nelson
- Brittney Spencer
- Cher
- Marc Anthony
- Lizzo
- Usher
- Olivia Rodrigo
- John Legend
- Cardi B
- Kesha
- Billie Eilish
- Bruce Springsteen
- Neil Young
- Whoopi Goldberg
- George Clooney
- Barbra Streisand
- Rosie O’Donnell
- Jamie Lee Curtis
- Jane Fonda
- Ben Stiller
- Kathy Griffin
- John Stamos
- Ed Helms
- Tiffany Haddish
- Matt Damon
- Jennifer Aniston
- Mel Brooks
- Robert De Niro
- Jennifer Lawrence
- Bryan Cranston
- Anne Hathaway
- Spike Lee
- Aaron Sorkin
- Andy Cohen
- Mark Cuban
- Bill Gates
- Laurene Powell Jobs
- Arthur Blank
- Michael Bloomberg
- John Pritzker
- Sheryl Sandberg
- Eric Schmidt
- Steven Spielberg
- Reed Hastings
- Christy Walton
- Melinda French Gates
- Sean Parker
- Steph Curry
- Chris Paul (CP3)
- Dave Bautista
- Bad Bunny