Dwayne Johnson Responds To Maui Fundraiser Backlash: 'Could've Been Better'

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has finally apologized to his social media followers following the backlash he received for the fundraiser he set up with Oprah Winfrey back in August to help those affected by the Maui wildfires.

If you’ll recall, Johnson, 51, and Winfrey, 69, started the People’s Fund of Maui following the wildfires that devastated the Lahaina area of Maui in August earlier this year. They pledged a combined total of $10M, and then asked their fans on Instagram and TikTok to donate the rest. However, they immediately faced backlash for not donating more of their own money or funding the initiative entirely, and instead, asking for help from struggling members of the public.

The New York Post claimed that Winfrey, who owns over 1000 acres of land on Maui according to Hawaii News Now, and Johnson have a combined net worth of over $2.8B, which many people referenced on social media.

Dwayne Johnson And Oprah Winfrey Receive Backlash For Fundraiser

“Dwayne The Rock, Johnson, multimillionaire, and Oprah Winfrey, billionaire, asking people destroyed by Biden’s economy to give money for the Maui disaster is like John Kerry telling us to save energy while he flies around in private jets! They deserved the backlash!” exclaimed one person on Twitter.

“As someone who struggles to decide whether to fill my tank with gas or buy groceries… y’all got this!” exclaimed one person in the comments section to The Rock’s August 31st TikTok video, above. “I feel like this should have just been in a group text to your friends,” someone else quipped, as another TikTok user added: “Me watching this while eating my 5th Ramen noodle bowl this week.”

“We just went broke buying eggs a couple months ago. Like are you serious,” said another. “I literally cried today paying my bills. Our hearts break for the people… but most of us have NOTHING to give,” another user wrote, as someone else said: “You’re smart, Rock. Should have thought this through and how it would have been perceived to the public.”

Dwayne Johnson Apologizes For Asking Those Living ‘Paycheck To Paycheck’ To Donate To Maui Wildfire Fundraiser

“When we first launched the fund, there was some backlash,” Johnson said in a video shared to Instagram on October 7th. “I get it and I completely understand, and I could’ve been better. 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 [are] living paycheck to paycheck. And I get it, and I know what that’s like, I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck,” he continued.

"When you’re living paycheck to paycheck, I was easily [expletive] off, and I was frustrated, and the last thing you want to hear when you are living paycheck to paycheck is someone asking you for money, especially when the person asking you for money, already has a lot of money," he continued, seemingly to tell his fans that he understood where the backlash was coming from. "So I get it. I understand. I’ve never launched a fund before. But I’m a quick study and lesson learned. So thank you," he added.

Also in the video, Johnson thanked those who had contributed in one way or another, saying: "Watching families and communities come together after this tragedy is inspirational and I’m proud of our Polynesian people. Thank you to everyone who has helped by sending resources, love and prayers to all people affected by the fires and a loving mahalo and RESPECT to our OG cultural leaders, our local community organizations, and all our first responders and every person who came together to help our people."