Dwayne Johnson is accepting the negative feedback he received after he and Oprah Winfrey requested donations for a fund to aid in the recovery after the Maui wildfires last month.
I get it and I absolutely understand, and I could’ve been better, Johnson said in a video that was shared to his Instagram page on Sunday. “When we first launched the fund, there was some backlash,” Johnson added. And I’ll do better the next time.
Johnson continued, “I recognize that money doesn’t fall out of the sky or grow on trees and that a lot of people out there are living paycheck to paycheck. I understand it and am familiar with the situation.
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When you are living paycheck to paycheck, the last thing you want to hear is someone begging you for money, especially if that person already has a lot of money, he added.
Johnson and Winfrey first revealed they founded the People’s Fund of Maui in an Instagram video they shared in August, saying they each committed $5 million to launch the initiative.
“I understand it, I get it. I’ve never started a fund, but I’m a quick study, and I’ve learned my lesson,” Johnson said, adding that he values the openness his social media platforms offer in terms of incorporating comments from his followers.
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Those who lost their principal residences in the Lahaina and Kula fires were eligible to receive $1200 per month from the fund, according to Winfrey and Johnson’s announcement.
Johnson stated that “thousands and thousands of survivors” have begun to receive the first wave of funds in his video from Sunday.
According to a recent CNN article, the island of Maui experienced over 100 fatalities as a result of swiftly spreading flames. The National Fire Protection Association claims that the recent wildfires in the US are the deadliest in more than a century.
