Oprah Winfrey denies being paid $1M for Kamala Harris rally: 'I was not paid a dime'
Oprah Winfrey's patriotism doesn't come with a price tag.
The media mogul and former talk-show host is addressing rumors she was paid $1 million for her involvement in Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign. Winfrey hosted a star-studded town hall event, titled the "Unite for America" rally, in September.
In a statement from Winfrey's production company Harpo Productions provided to USA TODAY, a spokesperson said Tuesday that Winfrey was "at no point during the campaign paid a personal fee, nor did she receive a fee from Harpo," adding that Harris' campaign paid for the rally's production costs.
Winfrey also took to social media to set the record straight, commenting on an Instagram post that featured paparazzi footage of herself denying the rumor. The comment's authenticity was verified by Winfrey's publicist Chelsea Hettrick.
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"Usually I am reluctant to respond to rumors in general, but these days I realize that if you don't stop a lie, it just gets bigger," Winfrey wrote. "I was not paid a dime. My time and energy was my way of supporting the campaign."
"The Oprah Winfrey Show" host added that Harpo was asked to provide production equipment, including "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."
"I did not take any personal fee," Winfrey concluded. "However the people who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story."
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"Unite for America" took place on Sept. 19 in Farmington Hills, a suburb of Detroit in Oakland County, Michigan. About 400 spectators joined Winfrey and Harris inside the studio, and many more watched the event on YouTube, Facebook and other platforms.
Several celebrities joined via Zoom including actor Bryan Cranston, actress Julia Roberts, actress Meryl Streep, actor Ben Stiller, comedian Chris Rock, actress Tracee Ellis Ross and singer Jennifer Lopez.
During the rally, Winfrey said Harris' presidential bid "unleashed a unifying force unlike anything we've seen in politics in a very long time."
"This is the moment for people who are tired of all of the bickering and all of the name-calling," Winfrey added. "People who are exhausted by the craziness and the made-up stories and the conspiracies."
Contributing: Joey Garrison, USA TODAY