While we may not be aware of the number of donations Dwayne Johnson and Oprah Winfrey managed to collect for their Maui relief fund, mapping the yet-to-end impact of their demand that the general public should contribute is not a tough task as criticisms aimed at the celebrities whose combined net worth crosses billions have not ceased yet. And The Rock is not only well aware of the backlash but also “totally” gets why their efforts to help Maui drowned in the onslaught of negative responses to the fund.
On one hand, Oprah has chosen to describe the criticisms as “lies” and “conspiracy theories.” At the same time, Johnson accepted and acknowledged why the Maui fund became the subject of instant and intense scrutiny when he recently marked his presence on The Pat McAfee Show.
In the first half of the interview, the Jumanji star explained how the Maui fund was started to aid the many lives destroyed in the wildfires and ensure the money goes “directly into their hands” instead of finding its way through different organizations. ”Right now, it’s a thing that the people need and so we put this fund together and I donated millions of dollars, my own personal money, up front,” he added.
But he is also aware of why the idea of the fund didn’t sit well with many people.
“I got to tell you about the criticism. I totally get it and I completely understand. You know, money is not growing on trees. A lot of people out there are living paycheck to paycheck and I get it,” he explained, sharing how he has experienced the phase when he barely had any money.
“I get why it made some people upset and I could have communicated that message a lot better. What I should have said was “All right guys, we’ve got a people’s fund of Maui. We are all heartbroken, devastated. Millions of dollars, here, I am donating. That’s going to go directly into the people’s hands. I appreciate all the love and all the support and all the prayers, keep it coming.””
He also revealed that the money collected in the fund will be reaching its designated recipients by next week, adding that though he knows the noble reason behind setting up the fund, he is also responsible for how it is perceived and promises that he will do a better job of presenting as well as conveying his next attempt to help others.
But even though Johnson stressed that the fund kickstarted with “millions” of his dollars, there is no tweaking the relentless ire his net worth alone has triggered as it has been pointed out that he is single-handedly capable of making a much bigger donation instead of being the millionaire who asks the common man to add another hole to his almost empty wallet.