Oprah Winfrey, the media executive, has denied claims that she received a $1 million payment to campaign for Kamala Harris.
Donald Trump, the Republican standard-bearer, recently defeated Harris, candidate of the Democratic Party in the United States presidential election, to become the 47th president.
But on November 8, Washington Examiner alleged that Winfrey’s company Harpo Productions received the payment to host a celebrity town hall meeting.
The newspaper claimed the $1 million was part of a $1 billion raised by Harris to fund the election.
The report alleged the campaign “paid more than $15 million, according to federal filings,” on “event production”.
“This included a $1 million payment to Harpo Productions for the ‘Unite for America’ event, which took place in September,” it added.
Winfrey had hosted a town hall meeting for Harris on September 19, which featured prominent celebrities like Chris Rock, Jennifer Lopez, and Meryl Streep. She also appeared as a keynote speaker at Harris’ rally in Philadelphia.
Despite her involvement in the rally, the 70-year-old television host maintained that she did not receive any payment for her support.
In an interview with TMZ, Winfrey denied the report, saying “it is untrue. Not true. I was paid nothing ever,” she said.
In a statement, Harpo Productions confirmed that the Harris campaign had paid for the costs of the town hall, without giving a specific figure.
“Oprah Winfrey was at no point during the campaign paid a personal fee, nor did she receive a fee from Harpo,” it added.
