Oprah Winfrey describes how her company spent $1 million from Kamala Harris’ ‘Unite for America’ campaign

After it incorrect reporting and speculation that Oprah Winfrey was personally paid by the Kamala Harris campaign to participate in the “Unite for America” livestream rally in September, Winfrey has again confirmed that the $1 million spent by the campaign went directly to Harpo Prods.’ production fees.

After all, Harpo demanded the fees for pre-production, field shot production and logistics, as well as post-production costs. The event, held on September 19, was a big event with a chat between Winfrey and Harris, as well as virtual appearances by stars such as Jennifer Lopez, Meryl Streep, Chris Rock and Julia Roberts.

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On one Instagram post by The Shade Roomthat showed a video of Winfrey being assaulted by a TMZ videographer (and Winfrey denied that she was personally paid by the campaign), the comments pointed out that it is foolish to imagine the already wealthy Winfrey demanding $1 million to endorse a candidate. “You think Oprah’s endorsement can be bought is beyond me,” wrote one fan.

Winfrey herself responded in the comments: “Thank you so much for saying this. I want to high five and give you a hug. Usually I’m reluctant to respond to rumors in general, but these days I realize that if you don’t stop a lie, the only bigger one.

“I wasn’t paid a penny. My time and energy was my way of supporting the campaign. For the live streaming event in September, my production company Harpo was asked to bring in sets, lights, cameras, microphones, crew, producers and any other items that needed (including the benches and chairs we sat on) to put on a live production. But those who worked on that production needed to be paid. End of story.”

An insider from the Harris camp backed that up, noting that no one was compensated, but that under campaign rules they are legally required to pay for expenses associated with appearances — including production, travel and expenses for their crew. The $1 million from Harris for President was just to meet campaign finance obligations, specifically saying “event production” in his itemized statement. (It’s illegal to pay for referrals anyway.)

And that $1 million production fee isn’t out of the ordinary. The Harris Victory Fund spent $1.15 million at the Madison Square Garden fundraiser it held in March, according to campaign reports. And it also spent $480,000 to rent the Peacock Theater for a similar event in June.

“The campaign paid for the production costs of ‘Unite for America,’ a live streaming event that took place on September 19 outside Detroit, Michigan. At no time during the campaign did Oprah Winfrey pay a personal fee, nor did she receive a fee from Harpo,” said a spokesperson for Harpo.

(Gene Maddaus contributed to this report.)

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