Oprah Winfrey has refuted claims alleging that she received $1 million to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, quashing speculation following initial reports that examined the financial troubles of the Democratic presidential campaign, which reportedly concluded with $20 million in debt.
In a video shared by TMZ on Monday, a paparazzi reporter approached the former talk show legend and questioned whether the Harris campaign “compensated you with a million dollars for your endorsement.” Winfrey simply stated, “that’s not true,” later adding, “I was never paid anything.”
Recently, the Washington Examiner mentioned that the campaign disbursed $1 million to Winfrey’s production firm, Harpo Productions, on October 15. The purpose of this expenditure remains unclear; however, Winfrey participated alongside Harris in several campaign events, including a town hall meeting in Michigan during September and at the Democratic nominee’s final rally before Election Day in Philadelphia.
The same article indicated that the campaign invested millions in production expenses for Harris’ high-profile gatherings, including her interview with podcaster Alex Cooper on “Call Her Daddy.”
Winfrey offered her endorsement of Harris as early as August when she made an unexpected address at the Democratic National Convention held in Chicago.
The Harris campaign’s debts were initially reported by Politico last Wednesday—surprising Democratic insiders, given that the nominee amassed a substantial amount of funds in a short time. Even with the campaign kicking off at the end of July, it reportedly raised a staggering $1 billion in donations by October.
Harris’ Republican challenger, President-elect Donald Trump, couldn’t resist gloating over the reported debt, claiming that the Democratic campaign was being “pressured by vendors” following their high-profile events.
“Whatever measures we can take to assist them during this challenging time, I would strongly suggest we, as a Party, for the sake of essential UNITY, proceed accordingly,” Trump remarked in a post on Truth Social.
