Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has responded to the social media backlash over his fundraiser with Oprah Winfrey for those affected by the Maui wildfires.
The 51-year-old Black Adam star shared a video on his verified Instagram page addressing the criticism, promising his social media following he had “learned” from the experience and will “be better”.
In September, the actor launched the the People’s Fund of Maui with Winfrey to provide financial assistance for those affected by the catastrophic wildfires in Hawaii.
Watch the video above.
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The stars committed to give $US10 million (approx. $15.4 million) each to go towards the fund’s objective to provide $US1200 (approx. $1850) a month to adults unable to return to their primary residences.
Johnson and Winfrey then urged others to donate money to the fund, which according to Johnson led the stars to face criticism.
“When we first launched the fund, there was some backlash,” Johnson said during his video message posted to Instagram.
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“I get it and I completely understand, and I could’ve been better,” he said before pledging “next time I will be better.”
The actor addressed asking for donations from the public for the fund, saying he understood “money ain’t falling out of the sky and it isn’t growing on trees.”
Johnson acknowledged the many people “living paycheck to paycheck”, admitting he could relate to their situation.
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“I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck – seven bucks, I know,” he said.
“When you’re living paycheck to paycheck, I was easily pissed off and I was frustrated,” the Red Notice actor added.
Johnson then said that he knew “the last thing you want to hear when you’re living paycheck to paycheck is someone asking you for money, especially when the person asking you for money already has a lot of money.”
The actor later said that he had learned his lesson from the backlash and urged fans to almost be honest with him and tell the truth – “good or bad.”
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“I’ve never launched a fund before, but I’m a quick study,” he said.
Many fans took to the comments to express their admiration for the star taking responsibility and addressing the scrutiny.
“I’m glad he helped and acknowledged the backlash because people were really frustrated with him as a celebrity asking us give including myself,” one person said.
“I honestly respect him for addressing the criticism. I’m happy the people of Maui are getting help and receiving funds,” another wrote.
“Nobody is perfect. Always room for improvement, you’re a good one champ,” a third person commented.