Dwayne Johnson admits he ‘could have been better’ about Maui wildfire fundraiser

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson addressed the backlash he and Oprah Winfrey received over a fundraiser the two started for Maui wildfire victims.

The fundraiser, the People’s Fund of Maui, was started by Johnson and Winfrey in August, with the two donating $10 million to it themselves. Johnson, a wrestler and Hollywood actor, noted that the fundraiser had received pushback from several people on social media who noted that Winfrey and Johnson were already incredibly rich and that others are not in a position to donate with the current cost of living.

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“I get it and I completely understand, and I could have been better,” Johnson said in a video posted to social media, “and next time, I will be better. I understand money ain’t falling out of the sky and it’s not growing on trees. There’s a lot of people out there who’s living paycheck to paycheck, and I get it, and I know what that’s like. I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck.”

Johnson said that he had once been living “paycheck to paycheck“ and that someone asking others for money when they have little money themselves is “the last thing you want to hear.” He also admitted the Maui fundraiser was his first time launching a fund.

“So, I get it,” Johnson said. “I understand. I’ve never launched a fund before, but I’m a quick study, and lesson learned, so thank you.”

Additionally, Johnson said that recipients of the fundraiser were already receiving funds and thanked those who had opted to donate to the fundraiser for providing relief to the Maui wildfire victims.

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Johnson’s video addressing the fundraiser’s controversy comes after Winfrey discussed the fundraiser last month when she said she was “sad” by the public’s response. She explained that she was inspired by a fundraiser musician Dolly Parton started in 2017 to help the victims of the wildfires in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and that she and Johnson thought starting their fund with $10 million “was a great idea.”

Winfrey and Johnson were not the only people criticized by the public for their response to the Maui wildfires. The Federal Emergency Management Agency received pushback when it announced it would give $700 to each household affected by the wildfires. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard described FEMA’s response as “fricking insulting,” noting that Hawaii has the highest cost of living in the country.