Lawrence Jackson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Outgoing US Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign allegedly paid nearly $2.5 million to Oprah Winfrey’s production company for the celebrity packed town hall it hosted, more than double the initial estimate reported.
It was originally reported that Winfrey’s company Harpo Productions had been paid around $1 million for Oprah’s September town hall with Harris, but a new report shows that the amount was greatly underestimated.
According to the New York Times, Winfrey’s company had actually been paid closer to $2.5 million, still a mere fraction of Harris’ estimated $1.5 billion campaign spending.
Oprah has denied receiving any personal payments from the Democrat’s team and a former adviser to the Harris campaign also said they did not pay anyone for their appearances or support.
Winfrey also said she did not pocket any of the money and used it to pay her team. She also noted that the Harris team was charged for what they required for the town hall.
“I was not paid a dime. For the live-streaming event in September, my production company Harpo was asked to bring in set design, lights, cameras, crew, producers and every other item necessary (including the benches and the chairs we sat on) to put on a live production. I did not take any personal fee,” Winfrey wrote on Instagram.
“However, the people who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story.”
The Harris campaign broke records for the most donations compiled in the shortest amount of time which is likely one of the most expensive to date, with her campaign blowing through $1.5 billion in 15 weeks.
Her budget also saddled the Democratic Party with a $20 million debt.
The money largely went towards the campaign’s aggressive advertising, as it had to squeeze a year of rallying into three months after Harris replaced Biden as the Democratic nominee. There was also grassroots campaigning, inescapable social media advertising, and paying for endorsements from celebrities and influencers like Winfrey, Eminem, Cardi B, Beyonce and Lady Gaga.
Other billed purchases include nearly $9,000 worth of ice cream from high-end shops, $15,000 in food delivery services, and a staggering $2.6 million in private jet travel during her two-week push in battleground states in October.
President-elect Donald Trump beat Harris in the election, garnering 312 electoral votes. The US Senate and House of Representatives also tipped, making for a Republican majority in the legislative chambers.
In comparison, Trump had an estimated budget of $720 million, according to the Wall Street Journal.
