Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign significantly overspent on a livestream town hall event hosted by Oprah Winfrey, with reports indicating costs around $2.5 million, much higher than the initial estimate of $1 million. Winfrey and her media company, Harpo Productions, confirmed that although they were paid for production costs, she did not personally receive any payment for her appearance.
The event, which occurred in September and featured various celebrities, drew over 1.2 million views quickly but was ultimately unsuccessful in giving Harris the advantage on election night. FEC filings, first reported by the Washington Examiner, show two $500,000 payments to Winfrey’s studio shortly after the town hall, but sources have told The New York Times the full price was significantly higher than that.
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Harris’ campaign, which amassed an overall budget of $1.5 billion in just 15 weeks, faced scrutiny for its extravagant expenditures, including food deliveries and celebrity endorsements. Some of the more egregious costs include $9,000 on high-end ice cream brands, $15,000 for UberEats, and $2.6 million on travel aboard private jets. The campaign has left the Democratic Party with a $20 million debt, raising concerns among donors about future fundraising efforts.
Oprah reiterated her lack of personal payment on multiple platforms, emphasizing the necessity to compensate her production team instead.
“I was not paid a dime,” she wrote in one post on Instagram. “For the livestreaming 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. However, the people who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story.”
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