Kamala Harris’ campaign finally breaks silence on millions of celebrity payments

A member of Kamala Harris’ campaign is finally speaking out amid accusations from critics that celebrities paid millions to support the vice president during her failed presidential campaign.

Adrienne Elrod, who served as the campaign’s senior spokesperson, told Deadline that they don’t pay celebrities.

‘We never paid any artist or performer. We never paid that person any compensation,” she said.

According to her, the campaign is needed to pay for ‘any additional costs for that performance, including, for example, travel costs for band members.

“There are laws that must be followed and which we have followed religiously throughout this campaign,” she said.

The laws she was referring to include Federal Election Commission rules that require campaigns to pay fair market value for event costs.

Companies cannot pay for campaigns directly without being compensated, and if an individual does cover the costs, it is still considered an in-kind contribution subject to legal limits.

Elrod’s comments to Deadline come after Oprah Winfrey spoke out this week to explain the $1 million fee paid to her production company for a town hall event in support of Harris.

Vice President Kamala Harris with media mogul Oprah Winfrey during a live-streamed ‘Unite for America’ rally in Farmington Hills, Michigan, on September 19, 2024

Before the election, Winfrey’s Harpo Productions helped organize a star-studded town hall event for the vice president in Michigan, while the billionaire entertainment mogul enthusiastically endorsed Harris as the next president.

The Harris campaign footed the bill for organizing the town hall, making a $1 million payment to Winfrey’s production company, Harpo Productions.

When Winfrey was publicly confronted with the news for the first time on Monday by TMZ, he appeared to deny it.

“Not true,” she said, when a cameraman asked her about the payment. ‘I didn’t get paid anything. Ever.’

But Winfrey then clarified her comments in an Instagram post on The Shade Room show’s account.

“Normally I’m reluctant to comment on rumors in general, but these days I realize that if you don’t stop a lie, it will only grow,” she wrote.

Winfrey said her production team billed the $1 million fee to the Harris campaign to stage the Michigan event on her behalf.

‘[M]Production company Harpo was asked to bring in set design, lighting, cameras, microphones, crew, producers and all other items needed (including the couches and chairs we sat on) to put on a live production,” she wrote.

Oprah Winfrey holds hands with Kamala Harris after introducing the vice president to speak at a campaign rally outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

“Winfrey made it clear that she personally did not receive “one cent” from the campaign.

“I did not take any personal compensation,” she said. ‘But the people who worked on that production had to be paid. And were. End of story.’

The event featured virtual performances from A-listers including Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lopez and Bryan Cranston.

Despite the splashy, celebrity-focused event in the swing state, Harris lost Michigan and the presidential election to Donald Trump

The Chicago Stand blasted the billionaire former talk show host over her decision to let her company accept the payment, suggesting Winfrey should have paid her own wages.

U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris (L) joins U.S. television producer Oprah Winfrey during a ‘Unite for America’ livestream rally in Farmington Hills, Michigan, on September 19, 2024

Oprah Winfrey speaks during Vice President Kamala Harris’ final campaign rally in Philadelphia

“Frankly, $1 million isn’t that much for Winfrey, which is why we highly doubt she sought any kind of personal payday from her chosen candidate,” the editors wrote in a column.

“But she does own Harpo and serves as chairman and CEO. The production costs should have been a campaign donation.”

Critics have blamed Biden and Harris for wasting as much as more than $1 billion on a failed presidential bid.

Other celebrities such as Lizzo, Megan Thee Stallion, Eminem, Cardi B and Lady Gaga appeared during the campaign for Harris, but there is no evidence that their production companies received payments from the campaign.

Cardi B, who spoke on behalf of Harris at a rally in Wisconsin, denounced allegations that she was paid to speak at a Harris event.

“I didn’t get paid a dollar and that’s on my three!! I actually came out of pocket for glamor and travel because it’s the place I wanted to go. Please girl you know damn well I will argue with you about politics for FREE,” she posted on X in response to a tweet.