Nearly everyone knows what it feels like when a bill shows up before the paycheck does. Some well-known entertainers and athletes have seen that struggle and done something about it. One TV host wiped out medical debt for thousands of people. A filmmaker cleared holiday layaway accounts at Walmart. A basketball legend paid for a young man's engagement ring, and a pop star covered a student's college costs. These stories were reported by major news outlets, and each one shows how a single generous act can lift a heavy load from people the givers had never met.
John Oliver: John Oliver bought and forgave about $15 million in medical debt
On a June 2016 episode of HBO's Last Week Tonight, John Oliver turned a segment on the debt-buying industry into a giveaway. His show set up a company in Mississippi called Central Asset Recovery Professionals, or CARP. It used the company to buy about $15 million in debt owed to Texas hospitals for roughly $60,000. The show did not collect on the accounts. It passed them to the nonprofit RIP Medical Debt so they could be forgiven. About 9,000 people, most of them in Texas, had their balances erased. Individual debts ranged from $50 to more than $250,000. All of them were past the statute of limitations. Oliver used the stunt to show how easy it is to buy other people's debt, and he said it beat the previous record for a TV giveaway.
Tyler Perry: Tyler Perry paid off layaway items at two Georgia Walmart stores
In December 2018, filmmaker Tyler Perry paid off all the layaway items at two Walmart stores in the Atlanta area, one in Atlanta and one in Douglasville, Georgia. Walmart confirmed to ABC News that his checks came to more than $430,000. Shoppers who had been paying off holiday purchases bit by bit could pick up their items for one penny. Perry wrote on Instagram that he had wanted the gift to stay anonymous but was happy to help. He said times were hard and many people were struggling, that he was grateful to be able to help, and he wished everyone a Merry Christmas. He said the idea came from a Good Morning America story about the owner of the New Orleans Saints paying off layaway at a New Orleans Walmart.
Shaquille O'Neal: Shaquille O'Neal paid for a stranger's engagement ring at a jewelry store
In April 2021, Shaquille O'Neal was shopping for earrings at a Zales store in the Atlanta area when he saw a young man paying for an engagement ring he had on layaway. When the man got ready to pay, Shaq quietly handed his own credit card to the clerk. The man was shy, asked how much he still owed, and at first didn't want to accept the gift. Shaq told him to tell his girlfriend it was taken care of. Shaq told the story on the NBA on TNT postgame show, and a video of the moment spread widely online. He said he tries to do a good deed whenever he leaves the house. In his words, "I'm just trying to make people smile."
Taylor Swift: Taylor Swift covered a student's university fundraising goal
In August 2020, Taylor Swift came across the story of Vitoria Mario, an 18-year-old in London who had moved there from Portugal about four years earlier. Mario had won a place to study mathematics at the University of Warwick but couldn't afford housing, a laptop, textbooks or everyday living costs. Her family couldn't help her, and she didn't qualify for government maintenance loans or grants. She started a GoFundMe page with a goal of £40,000. Swift gave £23,373, enough to reach the goal. In a note on the page, Swift wrote that she was inspired by Mario's drive and dedication, said she wanted to cover the rest of the goal, and wished her good luck.
Drake: Drake gave away his music video budget to people in Miami
When Drake released the video for his hit song God's Plan in February 2018, it opened with a title card: the video's budget was $996,631.90, and "we gave it all away." The video was filmed over several days in Miami and shows him handing out money and gifts around the city. He paid for the groceries of a supermarket full of shoppers and covered one student's tuition. He also stopped at the Lotus House women's shelter, the Overtown Youth Center, Miami Senior High and the University of Miami. Early reports put his giving during the Miami visit at about $175,000, before the video revealed the full figure.
Sources
- https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/texas/news/tv-host-john-oliver-buys-forgives-15-million-in-texas-medical-debt
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Oliver_KSM_(cropped).jpg
- https://abc7chicago.com/post/tyler-perry-pays-off-all-layaway-items-at-2-walmart-stores/4852582/
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tyler_Perry_2024_(cropped).jpg
- https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/shaq-engagement-ring
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shaquille_O%27Neal_October_2017_(cropped).jpg
- https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-gives-uni-student-23k
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taylor_Swift_at_the_Golden_Globes_2024_(Enhanced,_cropped)_2.jpg
- https://wsvn.com/news/local/drakes-gods-plan-music-video-showcases-his-generosity-to-miami/
- https://www.nme.com/news/music/drake-gives-away-almost-1-million-gods-plan-video-2243604
- https://avclub.com/drake-gives-away-996-631-90-in-his-latest-music-video-1823074808
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Drake_Callender_(cropped).jpg
