Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign paid nearly $2.5 million to Oprah Winfrey’s production company, Harpo Productions, for hosting a celebrity-filled town hall.
This amount is more than double the initial estimate of $1 million that was reported for the September event, according to a new report.
Sources told the New York Times that Winfrey’s production company received closer to $2.5 million for hosting Vice President Harris’ town hall, significantly higher than the initially reported $1 million. This amount is a small part of Harris’ estimated $1.5 billion campaign spending.
Winfrey denied receiving personal payments, stating the money was used to pay her team and cover the town hall requirements. A former Harris campaign adviser said no one was paid for their appearances or support.
“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 received in the shortest time. However, it also became one of the most expensive campaigns, spending $1.5 billion in 15 weeks. This hefty budget left the Democratic Party with a $20 million debt.
The Harris campaign’s $1.5 billion expenditure was primarily directed towards aggressive advertising, compressing a year of rallying into three months after Harris replaced Biden as the Democratic nominee.
The spending also covered grassroots campaigning, pervasive social media advertising, and securing celebrity endorsements, including support from stars like Beyonce and Lady Gaga.
The Harris campaign’s expenditures included nearly $9,000 on high-end ice cream, $15,000 on food delivery services, and $2.6 million on private jet travel during a two-week push in battleground states in October.
President-elect Donald Trump defeated Harris in the election, securing 312 electoral votes and a Republican majority in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
With an estimated campaign budget of $720 million, Trump focused his efforts on appearances, including a series of online shows such as The Joe Rogan Experience, the top-ranking podcast.
