Megyn Kelly responds to Oprah Winfrey’s ‘grossly unethical’ admission about her interview with Kamala Harris
Megyn Kelly expressed her disgust after learning the truth about Oprah Winfrey’s production company charging the Kamala Harris campaign $1 million to host a special town hall.
Kelly, a former television journalist for Fox News and NBC News who now runs her own popular podcast, explained on social media that Winfrey’s action was “highly irregular.”
“This is downright unethical,” Kelly said, adding that “the subject of the interview does not pay for the set/production costs (the interviewer does) and even more shocking when those costs are $1 million. Especially shady when it comes to a presidential candidate.”
Kelly himself supported Donald Trump before the election, traveling to Pennsylvania to speak at one of his final campaign rallies.
Winfrey’s Harpo Productions helped organize a star-studded town hall event for the vice president in Michigan, as the billionaire entertainment mogul enthusiastically endorsed Harris as the next president of the United States.
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.
Megyn Kelly described the $1 million charge by Oprah Winfrey’s production company to the Kamala Harris campaign as “highly unethical.”
“Not true,” she said, when a cameraman asked her about the payment. ‘I didn’t get paid anything. Ever.’
But Winfrey wanted to clarify 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)y 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 says. wrote.
Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris (L) joins media titan Oprah Winfrey during a live-streamed ‘Unite for America’ rally in Farmington Hills, Michigan, on September 19, 2024
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 former billionaire talk show host over her decision to let her company accept the payment, suggesting Winfrey should have paid her labor wages herself.
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.”
Joe Biden and Harris’ teams have since blamed each other for wasting more than $1 billion in donor money on a disastrous presidential campaign.
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.
Hip-hop star Cardi B on Thursday publicly denied receiving money from Harris for her late October event in Milwaukee.
“I didn’t get paid a dollar and that’s out of my three!!” she wrote on social media in response to a question from conservative host Candace Owens.