Dwayne Johnson (51) and Oprah Winfrey (59) met with great criticism when they appealed for donations for the Maui victims, and now the Hollywood star has spoken out on Instagram. On Sunday, the actor posted a reaction and admitted that he could have done a lot better. The millionaire emphasized that he was aware that not everyone had money left over and could donate.
He also went through a time in which he lived from “paycheck to paycheck.” He asked for understanding because it was his first fund and he could learn a lot from this situation. The actor thanked his fans for the constructive criticism and promised for the future: “You have my word to always listen, learn, grow and do better.”
On August 31st of this year, the two stars set up a relief fund for the victims of the Maui wildfires. They themselves donated ten million US dollars and asked their followers to also help the victims. A noble goal in itself, but this call was met with strong criticism for the actor and the talk icon.
At the beginning of his video message, Johnson also announced some positive news: A number of amounts of money had already been distributed to the victims of the natural disaster. Each affected person should receive around $1,200.
Both stars have a strong connection to Maui. Johnson spent much of his childhood in Hawaii. Winfrey still lives partly on Maui today.