Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has addressed the criticism he faced for his call to action on social media, asking his followers to contribute to his Maui wildfire fund earlier this summer.
In collaboration with Oprah Winfrey, Johnson established the People's Fund of Maui, committing a total of $10 million to aid in the recovery efforts following the August wildfires on the Hawaiian island. They both encouraged public contributions, but their appeal drew swift backlash, prompting a response from the actor.
"When we first launched the fund, there was some backlash," Johnson acknowledged in a video he posted on Instagram.
"I get it, and I completely understand. And I could have been better. And next time I will be better. And I understand, you know, money ain't falling out of the sky and it's not growing on trees. And there's a lot of people out there living paycheck to paycheck, and I get it, and I know what that's like. I've lived paycheck to paycheck," he said.
"When you are living paycheck to paycheck, I don't want to speak for everybody, I'll speak for myself, but I feel it's connected. When you're living paycheck to paycheck, I was easily p----- off and I was frustrated. And the last thing you want to hear when you are living from paycheck to paycheck is someone asking you for money, especially when the person asking you for money already has a lot of money," he said.
Johnson candidly shared with his fans, emphasizing the significance of their views and opinions about him.
"If I do something and you guys love it, you let me know. … If I do something and you hate it, you let me know," he added.
Photo by fmovies st on flickr.com