Records show Harris’ campaign paid Winfrey’s company for hosting event, not for Oprah’s endorsement

Oprah Winfrey endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race. But some social media users are saying her support came with a price.

An Instagram post said the Harris campaign spent millions on its celebrity endorsements, including $10 million for Beyoncé and $2.3 million for Lizzo, which we have found no evidence to support. (Beyoncé’s publicist told PolitiFact it was “beyond ridiculous.”)

This Instagram list added a new celebrity line item: $5 million to Megan Thee Stallion, $1.8 million to rapper Eminem and $1 million to Oprah.

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The post conflates Winfrey’s endorsement with a payment to Winfrey’s production company for a campaign event.

The Harris campaign paid Winfrey’s production company for the cost of hosting a Sept. 19 “Unite for America” rally at which Winfrey interviewed Harris. But Winfrey said she did not receive a personal fee for the interview.

In a TMZ video, a reporter asks Winfrey whether it’s “true that they paid you a million dollars for the endorsement for Kamala?” Winfrey responds, “Not true. I was paid nothing — ever.”

Campaign finance records from the Federal Election Commission show Harris’ campaign paid Harpo Productions, Winfrey’s production company, $1 million for event production on Oct. 15.

A Harpo Productions spokesperson told Variety in a statement, “The campaign paid for the production costs of ‘Unite for America,’ a live-streaming event that took place Sept. 19 outside Detroit, Mich. Oprah Winfrey was at no point during the campaign paid a personal fee, nor did she receive a fee from Harpo.”

PolitiFact contacted a Winfrey spokesperson about the claim but received no immediate response.

Megan Thee Stallion performed at a July rally for Harris in Atlanta and rapper Eminem spoke  supporting Harris in October in Detroit. Neither the artists nor their production companies were listed in Harris’ campaign finance records.

The statement has an element of truth — the Harris campaign paid Oprah’s company $1 million for hosting an event. But the claim ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. Oprah said she was not paid for endorsing Harris. There are no federal records showing campaign payments to Eminem or Megan Thee Stallion. We rate this claim Mostly False.