WWE wrestler turned Hollywood superstar Dwayne Johnson is often in the news for either overpowering his on-screen adversaries with his massive physique – with his latest show of power on the big screen coming in Black Adam – or winning over the hearts of the general public with positive gestures which are even bigger than his Hercules like body.
His name was among the headlines in August for the latter after he started the People’s Fund of Maui with Oprah Winfrey after deadly wildfires tore through the Hawaiian island of Maui. Johnson and Winfrey collectively donated $10 million to kick-start their mission and then asked their fans to pitch in. Now, The Rock has taken time to detail the impact of his fund.
Dwayne Johnson Explains How His Fund Helped the People of Maui
Dwayne Johnson and Oprah Winfrey were largely praised for their efforts, but some fans took issue with their request to the global community members to donate as well, as they believed the pair, who have a combined net worth of more than $2 billion, are in a position to do more without depending on others.
The Fast and Furious star, who lived in Hawaii as a child, accepted the criticism by posting a message on Instagram where he admitted there are a lot of people out there who are living paycheck to paycheck and might not be in a viable position to take part in the very kind initiative. Johnson then went about his efforts to help the people of Maui.
During a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the 51-year-old was in a discussion about how governments often forget to tackle local issues by putting all their efforts into international efforts, including helping Ukraine amid their conflict with Russia. Midst of this conversation, Johnson revealed just how much positive work has been done due to the People’s Fund of Maui.
“Well, brother, you know that those are my people,” he said. “Yes, my Polynesian people, my grandparents are buried over there in the islands, my family. So we started that fund, the People’s Fund of Maui. And now we’ve helped over 8000 people, 12oo USD per person who has verified. But one of the biggest things, first of all the whole f-cking thing was so heartbreaking, but then also don’t forget about Maui. And it’s crazy because the work that now me and the team have been putting it like it doesn’t end. It’s continuous.”
Johnson went on to appeal that the people of Maui are American people and not just out there on the island, adding Americans can’t forget about them.
Read more: Joe Rogan Does Not Completely Believe Dwayne Johnson’s Steroid Story
How Oprah Winfrey Reacted to the Criticism of Her and Dwayne Johnson’s Maui Fund
Winfrey was a lot more aggressive than Johnson when it came to defending the basic idea behind her fund.
During an interview on CBS Mornings, the queen of television revealed she was surprised by the backlash she and Johnson received for asking money from fans for their efforts and insisted she still believes the idea was strong. The 69-year-old said:
“I was so excited about it, and then I got up the next morning, and I saw all of this vitriol, and I was, like, ‘Whoa, what happened here?’… It made me sad that we are at this state in our country.”
She explained that the fundamental idea was inspired by singer Dolly Parton, who helped victims of wildfires in Gatlinburg in 2017 by setting up a similar fund that reached directly into the hands of the people who needed it the most.
