Oprah Winfrey Faces Accusations of Hiring Firefighters to Protect Her Massive Estate During Maui Wildfire After Requesting Donations for Displaced Victims Who Lost Their Homes

[Oprah the Arsonist]

Oprah Winfrey is being accused of doing everything she can to protect her
Hawaii estate from the unprecedented wildfires that devastated the island
of Maui in August.

Multiple social media users have posted videos alleging that she hired a
private team of firefighters to stave off the flames from damaging her
2,000-plus acres of land. Not to mention, many are still outraged the
former talk-show host publicly visited shelters where the displaced
residents sought refuge after losing their homes.

A widely shared TikTok video claims that Winfrey hired the team before the
fires even started and that “instead of taking some of that land and
housing even a small portion of those displaced people, you hired a
private security team to keep them off your land.”

Winfrey has been a part-time resident of Maui for more than 15 years. The
video goes on to take aim at “shady real estate deals” that are targeting
displaced residents. One X user alleges that those same deals helped the
mogul purchase her massive plot of land for “pennies on the dollar.”

“You’re so concerned about Maui that instead of taking what would amount
to a year’s salary for you and four or five of your billionaire friends,
which could be used to rebuild the entire place in a matter of months,
you’re jumping on social media and asking the American public, most of
whom can’t afford to pay their rent right now to do it for you,” continued
the video.

Winfrey long has been criticized for taking up land ownership in the
tourist hotspot. In the wake of the recent devastation, locals called on
her and other notable wealthy people to help with recovery efforts. Along
with purchasing items for the displaced, she also partnered with Dwayne
“The Rock” Johnson to launch the People’s Fund of Maui.

RELATED: Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson’s Relief Fund for Maui Wildfire
Victims Backfires After Critics Question Why the Mogul Isn’t Using Her Own
Money

The megastars donated $5 million each, but also asked the public to help
out. The money reportedly will go directly to residents impacted by the
fires, allowing them to have agency over their own needs.

In a video, Winfrey said each resident over the age of 18 will receive
$1,200 a month for six months, or until the relief fund is depleted.

Still, critics have taken issue with the multimillionaire actor and the
billionaire mogul asking everyone to donate. “If you two don’t take your
Hollywood elite behinds to your other Hollywood elite friends and
politician buddies that got millions like you do…and help out Maui, you
are out your d—n mind,” said one woman.

“They could of just give them the money, the donation will be to raise
money for a corrupt cause thinly veiled as a good one,” commented another
critic.

Despite users suggesting that both celebs disabled comments on Maui-
related posts, users are still able to sound off beneath content both
related and unrelated to the natural disaster.

As shown in his own post, shared on Sept. 1, Johnson traveled to Maui to
speak with locals about the heartbreak they are enduring. The former WWE
star is of Samoan descent and has familial ties to Hawaii, where her
mother was born and raised. He also pledged to continue donating as the
island rebuilds.

On Sept. 3, Winfrey shared an update regarding the fund, stating that
10,000 people already had donated and thousands of residents signed up to
receive the much-needed financial assistance.

https://atlantablackstar.com/2023/09/04/oprah-winfrey-accused-of-hiring-
firefighters-to-protect-her-massive-estate-during-maui-wildfire-after-
donation-request/