In light of the recent Los Angeles wildfires, actress Mandy Moore received media backlash for publicizing a GoFundMe page for her in-laws who had lost their homes. For many, the social media post came across as tone-deaf. “You’re worth like 14 million– a GoFundMe is insane,” a comment receiving over 1,500 likes read. Another user wrote, “Wow, so a person living paycheck to paycheck is supposed to donate to a millionaire’s family. How out of touch can you possibly be?”
The situation raises the question: during times of disaster, is it fair for celebrities to be asking their followers to donate to their own friends and family?
Research shows that in many cases, crowdfunding after a disaster often has more favorable outcomes for those who have more wealth to begin with. For example, a study was conducted by researchers at the University of Colorado on the survivors of a major 2021 wildfire, who set up GoFundMe pages to raise money for recovery. The researchers found that households with the most wealth raised about 30% more than households with the lowest socioeconomic status. They noted that those with higher socioeconomic status often had more connections with wealthy and influential people who were willing to donate more or help campaign to raise funds. The aftermath of the disaster magnified existing socioeconomic disparities.
With that being said, it’s certainly hard to feel compelled to give money to the family members of a celebrity who has millions of dollars. After Moore publicized the GoFundMe page, her in-laws’ donations reached over $200,000, exceeding their initial goal of $60,000.
Moore later defended herself from critics in an Instagram post that has since been deleted, writing, “People questioning whether we’re helping out our own family or attributing some arbitrary amount of money Google says someone has is NOT helpful or empathetic We just lost most of our life in a fire too. No one is forcing you to do anything.”
She’s right– nobody is obligated to donate. But on the other hand, the backlash that she received should have been expected. As a celebrity, she has a large platform that reaches millions of people, most of which live very different lives and are unable to attain the same level of privilege that she has. Her intentions were good, but perception is what matters.
What can we ultimately take away from this? In disaster recovery, where one’s wealth and connections play a large role, some people will inevitably be less fortunate than others. Mandy Moore should have considered her audience before making her request. Additionally, although public outrage toward the situation was justified, maybe it was directed at the wrong issue. Rather than pointing fingers at a celebrity, more attention should be focused on the victims who have been less privileged and still have a much longer road to recovery ahead of them.
