,type=downsize)
Kylie Jenner wants to clear up what she’s calling a “false narrative.” Over the weekend Jenner shared a GoFundMe page for a celebrity makeup artist by the name of Samuel Rauda who was injured in a collision and needed emergency surgery. It was later revealed that Jenner donated $5,000 of her own money to the cause. What the Kylie Cosmetics founder thought was a nice gesture, quickly turned against her. People began to ask why Jenner would ask fans to donate money to “her makeup artist” when she’s a billionaire. After receiving a fury of hate online Jenner spoke up about the drama on her Instagram story to clear up the messy financial situation.
Rauda’s family initially set up the GoFundMe explaining the funds would be used to cover medical expenses. Jenner shared the site to her more than 200 million followers over the weekend and wrote, “May God watch over you and protect you @makeupbysamuel everyone take a moment to say a prayer for Sam who got into an accident this past weekend. And swipe up to visit his families go fund me,” per DailyMail. Social media quickly exploded with memes and discussions about Jenner’s privilege. On Monday afternoon Kylie released a statement, “I feel it‘s important for me to clear up this false narrative that I’ve asked fans for money and am not paying for my makeup artist’s medical bills.”
Jenner continued, “Sam isn‘t my makeup artist and unfortunately, we don’t have a personal relationship anymore but I have worked with him a few years ago and think he’s the sweetest. I saw my current makeup artist and friend Ariel post about sams accident and his family’s gofundme and I called Ariel immediately to see what happened to Sam.” Jenner then explained that when she donated the 5k it was enough to reach the family’s goal before they raised it. “After learning in more detail about the accident it compelled me to visit his gofundme which was set at 10k. They had already raised 6k so I put it in 5k to reach their original goal and thought I’d post on my stories to gain more awareness if anyone else felt compelled to share or donate. I don’t know how all of this got so twisted but his family has reached out through Ariel and are very appreciative of all the donations, prayers, and love towards Sam.”
In another post to her story, Kylie wrote, “Anyone that knows me knows that I do things from the heart and I try to be helpful whenever I can be. Let‘s all stay positive and keep Sam, his family, and anyone you know who is going through a difficult time in our prayers. I hope you have a beautiful day and let’s encourage each other to help.” Rauda underwent major surgery on March 14th and the page says “he has a long road to recovery ahead of him.” The goal is now set at 120,000 and with over $99,000 raised to date. On Saturday the family shared an update that included, “We have felt the love and know that your continued prayers for healing are very much appreciated. It has been uplifting to witness how Sam not only brought a ray of shine to our lives but to many across the world.”