New disclosures from the Kamala Harris campaign show that payments to celebrities who endorsed the vice president were more extensive than initially known.
One of the payments was a $50,000 sum made to a production company owned by NBA star LeBron James, following his endorsement of Harris for president.
James, with over 200 million followers on social media, openly expressed his support for Harris by urging his fans to vote for her citing the future of his children and family as a deciding factor.
James also posted a video suggesting that President Donald Trump was racist against black people.
The Harris campaign disclosure revealed that her campaign paid James’ production company, SpringHill Entertainment for ‘campaign event production, according to the Washington Free Beacon, who first reported the details of the payment.
James never campaigned for Harris, but his production company worked with Harris to produce the ad, titled Hate Takes US Back.
‘We are thrilled to have collaborated on producing this ad for LeBron James as he officially endorses Kamala Harris,’ the company wrote in a social media post at the time.
The payment was not officially made until January 28, 2025, days after Trump was inaugurated, and finally disclosed months later.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris poses for a group picture with LeBron James and other members of the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team,
LeBron James on a podcast interview
Houston native Beyonce Knowles hugs Vice President Kamala Harris during her rally
The payment to James is one more example of how the Harris campaign helped shift funds toward celebrities as they agreed to endorse the vice president.
The campaign paid $165,000 to Beyoncé’s team for a 4 minute campaign rally speech in Houston Texas and $58,867 to Cardi B’s company Washpoppin INC. for ‘campaign event production’ according to the Free Beacon.
Cardi B famously claimed she ‘didn’t get paid a dollar’ after she was accused on social media of getting paid by the campaign to endorse Harris.
‘I actually came out of pocket for glam and travel because it’s somewhere I wanted to be,’ she said.
The Harris campaign payment to Cardi B’s company occurred after the election.
Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris delivered remarks at a campaign rally
Singer Lady Gaga performs at a rally for Democratic presidential nominee U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris in Philadelphia,
Other payments revealed the Harris campaign paid $132,753 to Mermaid Touring, the company of pop idol Lady Gaga, $132,335 to August 8, Inc., the company owned by Gracie Abrams, and $98,000 to TGK Touring, the company of R&B singer Khalid.
The most eye-popping payment form the Harris campaign check to Oprah’s production company for $1 million.
The campaign also paid $500,000 to Al Sharpton’s non profit before appearing in an interview with the MSNBC anchor and $100,000 to an Obama linked company for campaign appearances.
Adrienne Elrod, who served as a senior spokesperson for the campaign, told Deadline they do not pay celebrities.
Despite accusations and rumors of celebrities getting checks from the campaign, the Harris campaign insisted they were not paying anyone for their endorsements or campaign activity.
‘We have never paid any artist and performer. We have never paid a fee to that person,’ Adrienne Elrod, who served as a senior spokesperson for the campaign told Deadline in November.
