It was one of the high points in the early days of the Kamala Harris campaign, the honeymoon period where the vice president — newly minted as the Democratic nominee — was in “joyful warrior” mode:
A sit-down with media icon Oprah Winfrey in Detroit.
Now, questions are being raised about whether the Harris campaign paid Winfrey for her tacit endorsement — as well as other expenditures the failed candidate made to facilitate media appearances with prominent media and entertainment figures.
A reporter for the celebrity news site TMZ caught up with Winfrey in a street interview published Monday.
“Not true – I was paid nothing, ever,” she said.
Oprah says it’s “not true” that she was paid $1 million to endorse Kamala, and she “was paid nothing, ever.”
pic.twitter.com/C0K5R5kr74— 💋🇺🇸 Country Over Party🇺🇸🇮🇱🇺🇦🇹🇼 (@gagirlpolitics) November 12, 2024
The Washington Examiner first reported last week that Winfrey’s company, Harpo Productions, had received payments totaling $1 million, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
The gist of the Examiner piece was just how Harris’ campaign managed to end up $20 million in debt while still losing despite a significant monetary advantage.
Do you believe Oprah Winfrey?
The $1 million to Winfrey’s production company was actually pocket change in the whole scheme of a campaign that seemed consumed with profligacy at virtually every corner. The outlet reported that an “army of political, digital, and media consultants” received over $12.8 million from the campaign.
Also of note was a six-figure sum to build a set for Harris to appear on the popular “Call Her Daddy” podcast, something that drew derision on social media.
Kamala’s campaign paid six figures for this set? Wow. https://t.co/XlwTrpb4Hw
— Rob Carson Show (@RobCarson) November 12, 2024
However, commentators began to zero in on the $1 million paid to Winfrey and whether it constituted a quid pro quo for the tacit endorsement implied by the softball September Detroit interview.
Kamala Harris paid Oprah Winfrey $1million during her failed presidential bid as part of her $1bn campaign spending spree https://t.co/1P29i3seGM pic.twitter.com/dxzzkWoBjX
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) November 11, 2024
Nor was this the only time Oprah made an appearance on behalf of Harris, as the U.K.’s Daily Mail noted: “Winfrey also participated in the Democrat’s last campaign rally in Philadelphia on the night before Election Day, alongside celebrities like Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin and Katy Perry, who publicly endorsed Harris.”
Both Winfrey and Harpo productions insist that the money didn’t go to Winfrey herself, but rather to “production costs” for the rally and Q&A.
“The campaign paid for the production costs of ‘Unite for America,’ a live-streaming event that took place Sept. 19 outside Detroit, Mich.,” a Harpo representative said, according to Variety.
“Oprah Winfrey was at no point during the campaign paid a personal fee, nor did she receive a fee from Harpo.”
Whether or not Winfrey ended up seeing the money directly or indirectly through her company, the expenditure has become emblematic of a campaign that relied heavily on star power and social media influencers but fell short, despite a significant cash advantage.
According to the Daily Mail, an initial analysis showed that the Harris campaign spent $1.2 billion while Trump’s camp only spent $750 million.
Harris lost in the Electoral College 312-226 in a rout that included all Trump winning the all-important swing states.
In addition, the Harris-Walz ticket severely underperformed in blue states that usually provide double-digit margins for the Democratic candidate.
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