Kylie Jenner Surprises Teacher with $50K for School, $200K to Help Her and Daughter's Finances
Kylie Jenner just helped spread some of her self-made billions to one deserving fan and her mother.
On Thursday’s episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star and Kylie Cosmetics maven, 22, surprised New York City native Ashley Almonte and her mom Mireya Almonte with $100,000 each to help alleviate their financial pressures — a gift that left both women in tears.
“This is amazing,” said Ashley, 22, an aspiring business major who recently dropped out of college to help support her mother.
“I want you to be able to pay off your student loans,” Kylie told Ashley. “I want you to be able to go back to college.”
In addition, Kylie donated $50,000 to Mireya’s school, P.S. 35, offering an oversized check to Mireya (and her colleagues, who were on video chat).
As Mireya told Kylie, she’s worked as a first grade teacher at the Title 1 school in the south Bronx for almost 20 years, and often donates much of her own money to help her students there.
“We service children that come from shelters, from homeless situations. We’re like a family as P.S. 35,” Mireya said. “We don’t only teach them academically, we also embrace them, we encourage them, we help the parents too if they’re going through difficult situations. And most of the money comes from our pockets because we don’t get enough funding for this.”
Ashley, too, has donated her own money to help her mom. That’s what actually led her to leave school.
“I saw the need. I saw her tears. I saw all of that,” Ashley said. “So stepped up and just took my job and said, ‘Let me go full-time.’ Let me just help her. Like, I want to see her okay. I would do anything to make sure she’s okay.”
“My mom, she’s just a single parent,” Ashley added. “She’s always making sure that her students are first, giving out of pocket for them, making sure they excel.”
All of that struck a chord with Kylie.
“I kind of resonated with your story because of how much you love your mom,” Kylie said. “And I’m obsessed with my mom. I would do anything for my mom so I really love that about you.”
In fact, Kylie’s so close with her mom that she made sure Kris Jenner joined in on the fun, dropping in on Ashley and Mireya at the Kylie Cosmetics Headquarters (after Kylie did Ashley’s makeup, of course).
“I told you, never lose hope,” Mireya told her daughter at the end of the day. “There’s always an angel out there.”
“Thank you for hearing my voice,” said Ashley.
DeGeneres has partnered with Kylie throughout the premiere week of her show to give away a total of $1 million — a portion of the proceeds from Kylie Cosmetics’ limited-edition Birthday Collection.
Earlier this week, Kylie, Ellen, and Kris surprised a women’s empowerment group called Nest of Love with $750,000.
Both Kylie and Kris were also on Ellen’s season 17 premiere on Monday, where Kylie admitted that her sisters — Kim Kardashian West, Khloé Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian and Kendall Jenner — love to poke fun at her financial status, especially when it comes to paying for some of their more elaborate vacations.
“When we’re in a group chat talking about where we should go for a trip, they’re like, ‘Kylie? You going to pay for it?’” Kylie said. “Just stuff like that.”
“They just joke with me, just sister love,” Kylie added. “They’re all really proud of me, for sure.”
Teasing aside, the youngest member of the Kardashian/Jenner crew assured DeGeneres that her sisters don’t expect her to pay for their expenses.
“Just my stuff,” Kris, 63, said with a laugh. “She pays for my stuff.”
The Ellen DeGeneres Show airs weekdays in syndication.
