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Dwayne Johnson Responds To Maui Fund Backlash

The Rock admits things could’ve been handled differently.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is doing some reflecting on the fund he established with Oprah Winfrey to help fund victims of the Maui wildfires, asking the public to donate.

Taking to Instagram on Sunday (October 8), the wrestler-turned-actor posted a video where he provided an update about how excited he was that the money raised in the fund was beginning to be provided to the victims of the wildfires. He also acknowledged how he could’ve handled the situation “better.”

“I get it and I completely understand, and I could’ve been better. And next time I will be better,” he said. “Money ain’t falling out of the sky, and it’s not growing on trees, and there’s a lot of people out there who’s living paycheck to paycheck. And I get it, and I know what that’s like.

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“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 continued. “I’ve never launched a fund before - trust me, I’m a quick study and learn my lessons fast. I totally get it and I appreciate you.”

Over 100 people died in the wildfires that swept through Maui on August 8. Both The Rock and Oprah have property on the Hawaiian island.

When the fund was announced in August, Johnson and Winfrey said they seeded the fund with $5 million each. Adults who lost their primary homes in the fires were eligible to receive $1,200 per month, with the offer being open to both renters and homeowners.

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