Fashion mogul and reality star Kylie Jenner has addressed the backlash she’s faced after asking her followers to donate money for a makeup stylist’s medical expenses.
After Kylie learned that an old friend, celebrity makeup artist Samuel Rauda, had been in a serious accident that required major surgery, she donated $5,000 (around £3620) to a GoFundMe campaign set up for his medical expenses.
The 23-year-old also asked fans to contribute via a now-deleted Instagram story: “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.”
Considering Kylie’s worth has been estimated at $700 million (£507 million), many people on social media felt the Keeping Up With The Kardashians cast member shouldn’t be asking her less fortunate fans to shell out to help her friend.
On Monday, Kylie posted another Instagram story, this time to “clear up this false narrative” that she’d “asked fans for money” for her makeup artist’s medical bills.
Kylie insisted that Rauda is not currently her makeup artist but says she worked with him a few years ago and thinks “he’s the sweetest”.
“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,” she insisted.
“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 Sam’s accident and his family’s Gofundme, and I called Ariel immediately to see what happened to Sam.”
After seeing that the GoFundMe post had already raised more than half of its $10,000 (£7,240) goal, Kylie says she donated an additional $5,000 (£3,620) to help them reach the total, and gave the information about the accident to her followers in case they wanted to help out as well.
She then expressed surprise that her attempt to do a good deed backfired.
“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,” she lamented.
An earlier version of this story appeared on the US edition of HuffPost.