Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has publicly apologized for his Maui fire fundraiser with Oprah Winfrey, acknowledging that the sight of two wealthy celebrities asking average Americans for money was poorly thought out.
In an Instagram video, Dwayne Johnson admitted “I could have been better and next time I will be better.”
“When we first launched the fund, there was some backlash,” he said. ” I want to say that I get it, and I completely understand.”
“I could have been better, and next time, I will be better. I understand money ain’t falling out of the sky, and it’s not growing on trees, and there’s a lot of people out there who’s living paycheck to paycheck. And I get it, and I know what that’s like. I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck, seven bucks. I know.”
Watch below:
View this post on Instagram
He added: “And when you are living paycheck to paycheck—I don’t wanna speak for everybody. I’ll speak for myself, but I feel it’s connected. When you’re living paycheck to paycheck…I was easily pissed off, and I was frustrated. And the last thing you want to hear when you are living from paycheck to paycheck is someone asking you for money, especially when the person asking you for money already has a lot of money.”
“So I get it. I understand. I’d never launched a fund before, but I’m a quick study and lesson learned.”
Johnson and Oprah Winfrey launched the People’s Fund of Maui in August with $5 million each — a tiny fraction of their combined net worth. Dwayne Johnson’s net worth is estimated to be around $800 million.
The celebrities faced a swift social media backlash over their effort, with numerous commenters questioning why ordinary people are being asked to donate when Winfrey and Johnson were giving relatively little in relation to their net worths.
“Math ain’t mathing with this one. You guy’s literally have so much money…. You can donate it and make it back within a year,” one top comment with over 10,000 likes stated, according to an Insider report.
Winfrey, who owns palatial property in Maui, already faced public backlash when, as Breitbart News reported, a camera crew that had been accompanying her during her visit to a shelter for Maui fire evacuees was turned away due to a no-media policy.
Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at
