Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign is facing intense scrutiny over the eye-popping expenditures recorded on the trail this season, with new details revealing just how much star-studded endorsements and high-production events actually cost.
According to a recent New York Times report, the widely discussed September town hall hosted by Oprah Winfrey set the Harris campaign back nearly $2.5 million—not the initial $1 million figure originally reported. The breakdown, it seems, went directly to Harpo Productions, Winfrey’s company, and covered extensive production expenses rather than any personal compensation for the media mogul.
Winfrey herself was quick to address public misunderstandings, posting to Instagram that she “was not paid a dime” by Harris’s team. Instead, the budget was allocated to Harpo Productions to cover critical event components: set design, lighting, camera crews, and even the seating.
“I did not take any personal fee,” Winfrey emphasized, highlighting that while the star-studded setup came with a hefty price tag, it wasn’t cash in her pocket. She concluded decisively, stating, “And were. End of story.”
A former Harris advisor backed this claim, clarifying that no celebrities have been directly paid for endorsing Harris on the trail. Nevertheless, financial records available from the Federal Elections Commission indicate that while the stars’ appearances were voluntary, the necessary support staff were compensated, further inflating campaign expenses. The town hall, while only one event, speaks to the larger strategy: pulling in Hollywood icons to boost Harris’s image and reach, all with a significant price tag.
And the spending didn't end with Winfrey’s town hall. Harris’s campaign reportedly organized high-profile concerts in swing states, featuring acts like Lady Gaga, Jon Bon Jovi, and Katy Perry—likely aiming to drive turnout among younger, undecided voters. Yet again, while these music icons did not pocket fees, their event production teams were compensated. According to sources, the campaign’s final tally for these rally-style concerts reached more than $10 million.
More questions arose as reports surfaced of six-figure sums spent on building a replica set of Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast studio. Instead of flying to Los Angeles to appear on the podcast, Harris's team transformed a hotel room in Washington, D.C., into a temporary set resembling Cooper’s original, sparking additional criticism over the campaign’s approach to optics and spending priorities.
As the campaign wraps, these expenses add up to an eye-watering total. Recent FEC disclosures indicate Harris’s campaign spent a staggering $1.5 billion during her 15 weeks on the trail—exceeding not only the campaign budget of her Republican rival Donald Trump, estimated at $354 million, but also the initial billion raised after President Biden stepped aside to support her nomination.
Public records show the campaign’s October spending alone reached $880 million, an amount drawing sharp contrasts with prior cycles and creating significant pressure for her team to justify these decisions.