The funding page reads: "The costs of James’s medical care and the extended fight against cancer have left the family out of funds. They are working hard to stay in their home and to ensure the children can continue their education and maintain some stability during this incredibly difficult time...Your generosity will help cover essential living expenses, pay bills, and support the children’s education. Every donation...will help Kimberly and her family find hope and security as they rebuild their lives."
I appreciate this is a difficult time for the family - my own mother died of cancer when I was a child and it is an awful thing to go through. But the GoFundMe seems like a kick in the teeth to those who weren't blessed with the good fortune James was. While he has spoken about not receiving residuals from Dawson's Creek he still earned in the region of $175,000 per epiosde - that is four or five years salary for many people.
He also worked consistently when the show ended, until his condition would no longer allow it. Even allowing for the huge costs of American health care, it begs the question why didn't have a life insurance and health insurance policy in place. And if he did why are they raising funds?
While he seemed like a lovely man the fact is he made and spent more money than most of us will ever see short of winning the lotto. Expecting fans, who have already funded his lifestyle by buying cinema tickets and suporting shows, to fork out seems very distasteful.
This is not the first celebrity fundraiser on the platform. Last year This Is Us star Mandy Moore was vilified for asking people to donate to her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, who lost their home in the Los Angeles wildfires. People questioned why the wealthy actress was asking for donations instead of paying for the damages herself. She responded by telling critics to "kindly F off," claiming she was also dealing with fire damage and helping her family. The campaign still raised over $200,000 but left a bad taste in many people's mouths.
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Meanwile reality TV personalities Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt also had a fundraiser on the platform in the aftermath of the fires. Set up by their friend Brandon Johns it claimed they "lost everything". It shared a post from Spencer's social media claiming: "Everything in our house was paid for by Heidi and I hustling any way we could. EVERYTHING we have worked for was in this house. For the people that are like, 'Insurance will cover it,' obviously you don't know what you're talking about."
For some context their house was worth $3 million and Montag has spent more on plastic surgery in the past couple of decades than most people make in their lifetime. She has also made a handsome sum discussing her surgery - something most of us aren't in a position to do. Asking average people to help out these already overprivileged celebrities seems laughable.
Alongside these more extreme cases on a daily basis I see celebrities with GoFundMe appeals often for medical expenses. I appreciate a sudden medical emergency can put a huge dent in finances but that is why we have insurance. Most of these people have earned far more in their lifetime than the man on the street could imagine. Many celebrities have also shared fundraisers for members of their staff who need medical treatment, beggng their fans to donate rather than just paying it themselves.
The whole situation feels rather "let them eat cake". I am not unsympathetic to people who have suffered tragedies. But for the majority of the population we just have to get on with it and suck up the insurance excess. The idea of donating to someone who has made many times my salary in a day feels laughable.
