With some of Hollywood’s biggest names in tow (Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, Beyonce, Kerry Washington, Justin Timberlake, Jamie Foxx, and more), ‘Hand in Hand‘ – a relief benefit aimed to assist victims of Hurricane Harvey and Irma – aired live tonight.
The hour-long, star-studded telethon – which filmed in Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, and San Antonio – was kicked off by Stevie Wonder performing a stirring rendition of Bill Withers’ hit, ‘Lean on Me,’ and continued with moving showings from Usher, Cece Winans, Tori Kelly, and more while also featuring impassioned pleas from some of the celebrity guests to garner donations from viewers.
Their calls for action were certainly heard as a whopping $14 million was raised in just the hour the telecast aired…
During the telethon, Colbert announced the news that Apple donated $5 million while Jimmy Fallon said that Albertsons and Merck donated $1 million on top of that. Houston Rockets player, who was on hand answering phones said NBA Players Association not only donated $500,000 but said they would match any professional basketball player’s donation up to $20,000.
The telethon also included footage from Houston as they tried to rebuild from the aftermath of Harvey and more encouraging, heartfelt words and appearances from celebrities including Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Julianne Moore, Bruce Willis, Sofia Vergara, Justin Bieber, Taraji P. Henson, and more. [source]
Those interested in donating can click here to learn more.
That’s awesome ??
Absolutely wonderful, hope the victims get ALL THE MONEY
Was I the only one expecting Beyoncé to perform?
Justinesha Timberlake is cracking like eggs chile lol…but this is great