Kylie Jenner responds to backlash for asking fans to donate to makeup artist's GoFundMe
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The 23-year-old entrepreneur recently drew backlash after seeking donations for makeup artist Samuel Rauda's medical expenses.
Kylie Jenner is clearing up her intention after facing the irk of netizens for encouraging her followers to donate to a makeup artist's GoFundMe.
Jenner took to Instagram Monday to defend herself, clarifying that Rauda "isn’t my makeup artist and unfortunately we don’t have a personal relationship anymore."
"I saw my current makeup artist and friend Ariel post about Sam's accident and his family's gofundme... it compelled me to visit his gofundme which was set at 10K," Jenner wrote. "They had already raised 6k so I put it in 5k to reach their original goal."
Jenner said she shared the fundraising campaign "on my stories to gain more awareness if anyone also felt compelled to share or donate," adding that she does "things from the heart and I try to be helpful whenever I can be."
"I don't know how all of this got so twisted but his family has reached out through Ariel and are very appreciative," she said.
The 23-year-old entrepreneur drew backlash over the weekend after seeking donations for makeup artist Samuel Rauda's medical expenses. Following Rauda's car accident last weekend, Jenner posted a request for her fans to contribute and gave $5,000 to the cause herself, according to Britain's The Sun, which featured a screenshot of the Instagram Story.
"May God watch over you and protect you @makeupbysamuel," Jenner posted with a black-and-white photo of Rauda. "Everyone take a moment to say a prayer for Sam who got into an accident this past weekend. And swipe up to visit his families go fund me."
Netizens condemned Kylie Cosmetics founder – the highest-paid celebrity of 2020, according to Forbes, who has an estimated net worth of $900 million – for asking her fans for money.
Despite the backlash, and with a push from the extra publicity around the trending criticism, Rauda's expense fund surpassed its initial fundraising goal of $10,000. The GoFundMe page is currently close to $100,000 with a revised $120,000 goal.