Kamala Harris’s campaign has been accused of spending millions of dollars on paying celebrities to endorse her.
An account on X, formerly Twitter, known for sharing political news with a right-wing tilt, claimed that the Harris campaign spent $20 million on celebrity endorsements, including to Megan Thee Stallion, Lizzo, Eminem and Oprah Winfrey.
Similar claims have been circulating online in the days since Donald Trump won a decisive victory over the Democratic nominee in last Tuesday’s election. Winfrey, who appeared at the vice president’s final campaign rally in Philadelphia, has denied claims that she was paid $1 million for her endorsement.
“Not true. I was paid nothing, ever,” she told TMZ.
Additional claims surfaced online alleging that Beyoncé, who performed at a Harris campaign rally in Houston, was paid $10 million for her endorsement. However, nonprofit fact-checking site FactCheck.org reported that a Harris campaign official denied the claim as “not true.” Similarly, PolitiFact found “no evidence” supporting the claim, and Beyoncé’s publicist dismissed it as “beyond ridiculous.”
Some social media users noted two entries on the Federal Election Committee website listing payments to Oprah Winfrey’s production company, Harpo Productions Inc., from the Harris campaign. These payments, $500,000 each, made on October 15 and labeled “event production,” have raised questions. It’s unclear what they covered, though celebrity appearances often involve expenses for travel, security, and production rather than direct payments to the celebrities themselves.
The scrutiny over celebrity endorsements comes amid criticism of Harris’s campaign spending, which reportedly reached around $1 billion, leaving the campaign $20 million in debt by the end of the cycle.
Some analysts, along with Trump supporters like Joe Rogan and Elon Musk, suggested that the reliance on celebrities may have made the Democratic nominee seem disconnected from voters, particularly in an election cycle where economic issues were top concerns.
While Harris’s campaign drew substantial celebrity support with numerous high-profile appearances, questions remain about whether these endorsements ultimately helped or hindered her efforts.
