Kylie Jenner breaks silence on makeup artist GoFundMe backlash
Kylie Jenner may be a lot of things, but “heartless” isn’t one of them.
The mega-wealthy beauty maven, 23, defended herself via Instagram on Monday after fans attacked her for asking for donations to help cover celebrity makeup artist Samuel Rauda’s medical bills following a horrific car accident. And while Jenner is known for her luxurious lifestyle, she only donated $5,000 to her friend.
After calling the backlash a “false narrative” on her Instagram story, she explained, “I saw my current makeup artist and friend Ariel post about Sam’s accident and his family’s GoFundMe and I called Ariel immediately to see what happened to Sam [sic].”
The reality star said she decided to visit the fundraising page at that point and saw the goal was set at $10,000 and his family had raised $6,000.
“I put in 5k to reach their original goal and thought I’d post on my stories to gain more awareness if anyone also felt compelled to share or donate,” she wrote.
“Anyone that knows me knows that I do things from the heart and I try to be helpful whenever I can be,” she concluded. “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.”
She also noted that “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.”
A source close to the “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” star told Page Six the same story earlier on Monday.
According to the GoFundMe page, Rauda underwent major surgery on March 14 after being involved in a car wreck and is in a “fight” for his life.
Rauda’s friend, La Demi, explained that “he flew off of a moving vehicle crushing his head into the pavement,” resulting in “internal bleeding and 8 different injuries to his brain.”
Now, the GoFundMe page has a goal of $120,000.
HUDA Beauty founder Huda Kattan has donated $10,000 to help Samuel, while Bella Thorne donated $5,000 and Sofia Richie donated $3,000. Jenner’s BFF Anastasia “Stassie” Karanikolaou donated $1,000 and former Kardashian West Brands Chief Operating Officer Steph Shep donated $750.