Oprah Winfrey Denies Claims She Took ‘Personal Fee’ From Harris Campaign

Oprah Winfrey said on Tuesday that she didn’t receive a “personal fee” for a campaign event she held with Vice President Kamala Harris in Detroit in mid-September.
The daytime TV star and media mogul was responding to claims that she was personally paid $1 million by the Harris campaign for the Sept. 19 event.
In the video, the reporter approached her while she was walking to her vehicle, and she said “[I’m] not talking about the election.” The reporter then asked about the alleged payment, the longtime daytime TV talk show host said, “Not true. I was paid nothing—ever.”
The Epoch Times on Tuesday contacted Harris’s campaign and Winfrey’s company for comment.
“For the live-streaming event in September, my production company Harpo was asked to bring in 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,” Winfrey said.
“I did not take any personal fee. However, the people who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story.”
The accusations emerged after last week’s election, in which Harris lost to President-elect Donald Trump. Several news outlets examined Harris’s campaign finances and how the money was spent.
Several other celebrities attended the town hall, including Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, Julia Roberts, and Meryl Streep.
Winfrey also backed Harris at a campaign rally on Nov. 4 in Philadelphia, just a day before the election. She told the audience that people should head to the polls to vote.
“And let me be very clear, if you do not make sure that the people in your life can get to the polls, that is a mistake.”
Months before that event, Winfrey endorsed Harris at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 21.