Oprah Winfrey’s Maui donations misrepresented online | Fact check

An Aug. 26 Instagram video (direct link, archive link) claims billionaire media mogul Oprah Winfrey gave millions of dollars to a political candidate but nothing to those who suffered from a recent natural disaster.
“Oprah Winfrey just endorsed Kamala Harris with a 150 million dollars (sic), but couldn’t help the people of Muai (sic) and was begging for donations from people who are barely getting by?” reads text within the video, which was originally shared on TikTok.
The Instagram post garnered more than 600 likes in 10 days. Similar versions of the claim were shared on Instagram.
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This claim is wrong on both counts. Winfrey donated more than $25 million to her Maui aid organization, the People’s Fund of Maui. She hasn’t financially contributed to Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign.
Winfrey voiced her support for Harris during the Democratic National Convention in a surprise appearance announced just hours before the former talk show host walked on stage.
But this endorsement didn’t come with a $150 million donation.
Nicole Nichols, a spokesperson for Winfrey, told USA TODAY the show host has not donated to Harris’ campaign.
No donations to Harris from Winfrey or her company Harpo Inc. are listed on the Federal Election Commission website or OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan research group that tracks U.S. political spending.
There are likewise no credible reports of such a donation from Winfrey to Harris.
Sarah Bryner, a director of research and strategy at OpenSecrets, told USA TODAY such a large donation from Winfrey “would be impossible” because donations to political campaigns are capped by federal law at a fraction of the supposed donation.
Individuals are only permitted to donate up to $3,300 per election to a political campaign and $5,000 per year to political action committees, according to the FEC.
Fact check: Post confuses nationwide number of Harris volunteers with those in Georgia
The post’s claim that Winfrey gave nothing to the people of Maui after the 2023 wildfires there killed over 100 and displaced thousands is also false.
When Winfrey and wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson launched the People’s Fund of Maui, which offered support for those who lost their homes in the fires, they pledged a combined $10 million and asked others to donate. Their request for support was met with backlash from those who felt the two should’ve contributed more before asking fans to donate.
The fund ultimately ended up raising nearly $60 million and dispersed $1,200 monthly payments to about 8,100 Maui residents over six months, according to the Associated Press. A spokesperson for the fund declined to comment on the record.
Chelsea Hettrick, another Winfrey spokesperson, said Winfrey personally donated more than $25 million to the fund.
USA TODAY reached out to Harris’ campaign and the Instagram user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response. The TikTok user couldn’t be contacted.
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