Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign made significant payments to the production companies of Oprah Winfrey and Beyoncé.

Campaign finance records from the Federal Election Commission show that Parkwood Production Media LLC, Beyoncé’s production company, received $165,000 on Nov. 19, 2024, according to USA Today. The payment arrived roughly a month after the singer appeared alongside Harris at a campaign event in Houston, TX, her hometown.

While Beyoncé did not perform at the Oct. 25, 2024, event at Shell Energy Stadium, she and her Destiny’s Child groupmate Kelly Rowland publicly endorsed Harris in front of the roughly 30,000 attendees. The event focused on reproductive rights, a key issue Harris emphasized on the campaign trail.

On Oct. 15, 2024, Harris’ campaign also paid $1 million — split into two $500,000 payments — to Harpo Productions, Winfrey’s media company, USA Today reports.

Winfrey explained that the money was for Harpo’s work producing Harris’ “Unite for America” livestream rally on Sept. 19, 2024. The event aimed to mobilize voters in key swing states — Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Michigan — though Harris ultimately lost in all three.

Winfrey said Harpo was asked to provide services for the rally, including set design, lighting, cameras, microphones, crew, and producers, asserting that she did not receive a cut of the money.

In addition, Harpo and other companies similar to it, can’t legally donate to political campaigns, whether through cash contributions or other means, and are required to be reimbursed for expenses related to organizing events, according to USA Today.

As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Harris received an influx of support when she announced her presidential campaign on July 21, 2024, following President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race.

“On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country,” Harris said at the time. “I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.”

In just seven days, the Vice President raised $200 million, with 66% of the donations coming from first-time contributors, AFROTECH™ noted. Harris also set a record for the highest fundraising amount in a 24-hour period for either party during the 2024 campaign, earning an estimated $81 million.

According to AFROTECH™, support for Harris extended to California’s Silicon Valley, with over 100 venture capitalists and tech executives pledging to vote for her and soliciting donations for her campaign.

Investors involved in the pledge included Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn; Mark Cuban, founder of Mark Cuban Companies and former principal owner of the Dallas Mavericks; Jewel Burks Solomon, managing partner of Collab Capital; and Barbara Iyayi, founder and managing partner of Unicorn Growth Capital.

Despite raising over $1 billion, Harris’ campaign has faced criticism for its inability to secure a win in the election, USA Today reported.

“My heart is full. Full of gratitude for the trust that you have placed in me, full of love for our country, and full of resolve. I know you gave so much of yourselves to this fight. And I am so grateful to you,” Harris said in a statement on Nov. 6, 2024, a day after the election.

“While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,” she added via her website. “The fight for the ideals that reflect America at its best: Freedom, opportunity, fairness, and dignity. That is a fight I will never give up.”