Ellen DeGeneres announces GoFundMe page to raise $5 million for bushfires

Celebrity comedian Ellen DeGeneres has launched a GoFundMe page for the Australian bushfires that aims to raise $5 million.

Ellen DeGeneres has launched a GoFundMe page to raise $5 million for the Australian bushfire crisis.

The celebrity talk show host made the announcement on her show this morning, Australian time.

“I love Australia,” she said. “I love Australia so much, I even married an Australian.

“A few years ago I got to see how incredible Australia is in person. We took our show there.

“And I fell in love with the country and the people.”

DeGeneres said right now Australia needed some help.

“Wildfires have been burning for four months and with record-breaking heat, the winds are so strong, and it’s getting worse,” she said.

“Thousands of people have been displaced. Homes have been burned. Lives have been lost. Nearly a half a billion animals have been killed. It’s unbelievable. Nearly a third of their habitat has been destroyed.

“Our goal is to raise $5 million.”

She kicked off the campaign with a $100,000 donation from Shutterfly, The Ellen DeGeneres Show’s philanthropic partner.

“It’s going to take years for Australian to rebuild and they need our help, so please donate,” she finished.

Australia is in an emergency like nothing anyone on earth has seen before. Please help. Donate if you can. The loss of homes, and the lives of people and animals is catastrophic. https://t.co/vn6Qky3BbX pic.twitter.com/MeOZJDIsRX

— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) January 7, 2020

Her page joins dozens of fundraisers on GoFundMe that have raised millions of dollars already.

DeGeneres’ fundraiser comes as fellow comedian, Aussie Celeste Barber, has raised more than $45 million through the Facebook page she set up on Friday.

Over three days Barber had raised a whopping $7000 a minute.

Yesterday Barber called out billionaires who donated for the Notre Dame fire, asking where they were now.

“Remember when Notre Dame burnt down – very sad, don’t get me wrong, RIP Notre Dame, historic building,” she said on social media yesterday morning.

“And something like billions of dollars were raised, by I think like a handful of people. Where are those people now?

“Because I tell you what, every day people are donating $10 here, $10 there, that’s what’s getting us to now $40 million.”

She said if the billionaires donated their version of $10 it would be amazing.

“We need assistance, please billionaires,” she pleaded.

Yesterday Chris Hemsworth announced he was donating $1 million, among many stars who have already dug deep for bushfire recovery.

The Thor star made the announcement on Instagram, following in the footsteps of singer Pink, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, and Kylie and Dannii Minogue, all of whom have publicly announced $500,000 donations to the cause.

Billionaire businessman James Packer and his family have donated $5 million.

Originally published as Ellen DeGeneres announces GoFundMe page to raise $5 million for bushfires