A TMZ reporter confronted Oprah Winfrey about claims she was paid a million dollars to host a town hall for Kamala Harris’ failed presidential campaign. Oprah rejected those claims. While she may be correct that she did not receive a personal fee, her production company did receive campaign funds from the Harris team.

The TMZ reporter asked Oprah: “How did you think the election went?” 

Oprah responded: “Not talking about the election. Thank you very much.” 

TMZ reporter then asked: “Is it true they [Harris campaign] paid you a million dollars for the endorsement of Kamala”

Oprah responded: “Not true. I was paid nothing – ever.” 

Photog: Is it true they paid you a million dollars for the endorsement for Kamala

Oprah: Not true. I was paid nothing. Ever.

Oprah’s production company Harpo: As you can see Harris For President gave us two payments of $500,000 equaling exactly a million dollars. pic.twitter.com/j2ZTjWhgpe

— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) November 12, 2024

On Sunday, in a note titled “FEC Filings Show Kamala Harris Team Blew Funds On Hollywood Stars, Private Jets,” we cited Federal Election Commission filings that show Harpo Productions, which, after searching through public records, Oprah is a director, member of the board and officer of the production company, received a million dollars from the campaign. 

FEC Filings Show Kamala Harris Team Blew Funds On Hollywood Stars, Private Jets https://t.co/MuzrKonqRi

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) November 10, 2024

Per the FEC filing…

Meanwhile, a Harpo spokesperson told Variety that the Harris-Walz team never “paid a personal fee” to Oprah.  

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

“Sounds like this should be a bigger scandal,” one X user said. 

Sounds like this should be a bigger scandal pic.twitter.com/7gFEN6Oid7

— Toby Muse (@tobymuse) November 11, 2024

That’s right. 

Kamala Harris started her campaign with $1 billion dollars

Built a single use podcast set in a hotel room for $100k

Spent $20 million on concerts the eve of the election in swing states

Ended with $20 million in debt

And you thought she could somehow fix the US economy?😂 pic.twitter.com/exyOeojXXe

— MF Free American 🇺🇸 (@mnfrakenstein) November 10, 2024

Oprah’s presence on the campaign trail, as well as that of many other leftist Hollywood stars, had zero impact on the election outcome. Trump’s message on inflation and illegal aliens trumped Democrat’s message about gender and women’s rights.

Trump won 312 electoral votes. Republicans have majorities in the Senate and House.

Authored by Timothy C. Hemmis via RealClearHistory,

In the United States, November 11th has been known as Veterans Day since 1954 (before that, it was known as Armistice Day). Originally, Veterans Day commemorated the Allies’ victory in World War I. However, after the Second World War, veterans of that conflict including Dwight Eisenhower pushed to expand the holiday to honor all veterans. In many ways, this holiday is about giving thanks to those who have served in wars to protect the United States of America. In that sense it is as much a day of thanksgiving, if not more so, than the one at the end of the November.

The Thanksgiving we all know and love, which we celebrate with turkey, mashed potatoes, cornbread dressing/stuffing, cranberry sauce, and a multitude of pies, began as a solemn day of prayer and remembrance. Churches and political bodies often declared a day of thanksgiving after major events. These “holidays” could take place any time of the year. So why November?

President George Washington issued the first national day of thanksgiving on November 26th, 1789 as a day for prayer and giving thanks to God “for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation.” But Washington’s declaration was not the start of an annual holiday.

President Abraham Lincoln, from the prompting of writer Sarah Josepha Hale, officially set a national holiday on the final Thursday of November in 1863. Established during the Civil War, the new holiday encouraged Americans to remember and give thanks for blessings and military successes of the United States of America. Lincoln and Hale both thought a holiday could help heal the divided nation.

By the 20th century, Thanksgiving morphed into the feast we know today. The modern holiday is loosely based on the “First Thanksgiving” that the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony had in 1621, which was a harvest feast and a solemn day.

The rise of American consumerism during the late 19th century led to the growth of holiday meals and celebrations. During Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency, the holiday was moved to the third Thursday of November, which allowed for a few extra days of Christmas shopping to help boost an economy that had been limping along during the Great Depression. One could say that the holiday creep started with FDR.

As both Veterans Day and Thanksgiving are sandwiched between Halloween and Christmas, these November holidays have unfortunately been relegated to a secondary status.

Despite the origins of both these days of thanksgiving, we often forget the history and get swept up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. There is nothing wrong with putting up your Christmas tree early, but hopefully you and your family can pause and celebrate the two days of thanksgiving this November.

Timothy C. Hemmis is Associate Professor of History with a specialization in Early American History at Texas A&M University – Central Texas in Killeen, Texas. His research focuses on empire, national identity, war and society in Revolutionary America (1750-1815). He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2015. He is a fellow with the Jack Miller Center.