As we discussed on Sunday, Leonardo DiCaprio suddenly backed out of hosting a Hillary Clinton fundraiser in LA, citing his need to stay in New York to finish up work on a documentary he’s producing, or maybe it was the controversy with Leo’s foundation and a Department of Justice probe. Soon after Leo backed out of the fundraiser-hosting gig, he got into a car crash in the Hamptons with his girlfriend Nina Agdal. True story: Leo was driving a Range Rover during the car crash. Because he’s so environmental! Anyway, when Leo backed out of the fundraiser, Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake stepped in as hosts. People were surprised, because no one even realized that JT and Biel were #ImWithHer-ing. Both JT and Biel posted photos on their social media, which is actually sort of cute.
I’m reading various coverage of the fundraiser, trying to find out about the food. Here’s what I’ve discovered:
The cost: $33,400 per ticket. They raised $3.34 million with about 100 guests, and reportedly there were ten tables of ten.
Guests included: Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Foxx, possibly Katie Holmes (as Foxx’s date?), Tobey Maguire and Jennifer Meyer, Shonda Rhimes, Scooter Braun and more.
The food. Literally, this is the only detail about the food: TMZ says they served CHICKEN! I bet it was fried chicken. Hopefully with gravy and biscuits.
More fundraisers: After Hillary’s LA swing (which also included a fundraiser hosted by Magic Johnson and his wife), she’s headed to Palo Alto for two Silicon Valley fundraisers, one of which will be hosted by Apple CEO Tim Cook.
So all in all, Clinton’s swing through California has been good for her campaign. Even though FiveThirtyEight still has Clinton winning soundly, I still worry that Clinton is going to need to rejigger her media buys come October, and while Virginia, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Colorado look like sure things right now, it’s always good to have cash on hand.
More social media photos from the fundraiser:
Photos courtesy of social media.
Just for history’s sake, I’d love a selfie with Hillary. Shaking put my couch cushions now to see if I can afford one of the Silicon Valley shindigs.
I actually adore the little strip of photos Jessica posted. I cracked up on the third one! It’s nice to see Hillary show a softer side.
Tangerine Mussolini has to be seething that no big name celebrities are looking to host a fundraiser for him. Jealously tweet coming in 3,2,1….
what do you mean?! he’s got Chachi and a former underwear model/soap star on his side.
oh, and Tila Tequila and the Duck Dynasty guy!
/s
My bad, doofus. Lesson learned 😉
LOL
Ha! Tangerine Mussolini, love it. I also like “Cheeto Jesus.”
Nice pictures, all of them.
I love Cheeto Jesus as well. I cannot take credit for that one, I saw it from a commenter and I told them I was stealing it and they were good with it.
I prefer “barking yam”.
lol…my fave is “velveeta raccoon”…
Called it. He dissed Secretary Clinton and the celebs in Tampa, not on Twitter. Apparently her supporters are no longer hot.
Justin is just the last person I want hosting a fundraiser for me. Was Hillary fighting him for time on stage or was he tap dancing and doing skits?
Leonardo Dicaprio pull out is suspicious. Butat least JT and Biel I lie Leo seem to bath and groom.
To be honest, having a bunch of big name celebs endorsing a candidate has always been a huge turn off for me. Look at them Being whisked off behind some private gates, for an extravagant lunch that cost half of most average Americans yearly salary…completely out of touch with everything that most Americans have to deal with on a daily basis. It’s discouraging that this office of POTUS is basically bought . And just FYI, a celebrities opinion does not hold any more importance than any other Americans. They all need to get over themselves.
Do you prefer celebs, or those who George W Bush referred to as his “base” – the wealthy folks who’s names we’re just not as familiar with but could buy and sell most Hollywood actors?
I agree, just lost respect for a lot of these people.
“Look at them Being whisked off behind some private gates, for an extravagant lunch that cost half of most average Americans yearly salary…completely out of touch with everything that most Americans have to deal with on a daily basis.”
you just described EVERY big $ donor to EVERY campaign. “big name celebs” or complete unknowns. R or D.
“And just FYI, a celebrities opinion does not hold any more importance than any other Americans.”
while true, what’s also true is that a celeb’s opinion gets much more press than a regular American’s, and can therefore influence others’ opinions. and believe me, Drumpf would LOVE to have even half the celeb endorsements Clinton has. otherwise, he wouldn’t have had any of the Z-list celebs that he had at the GOP convention. he took what he could get.
i agree
even though i am i guess voting for her because the alternative is sickening, it really turns me off when celebrities turn up at conventions and have fund raisers etc
I agree with Bridget. Celebs are REALLY low on the totem pole as far as power in the United States and influencing campaigns. For example, Trump had a fundraiser in Bel Air before he announced Pence as his running mate where the cost was $449,400 per couple. The names of those attendees might not make headlines, but it is a similar event with far greater costs.
Celebs are really at the lower end of the power scale, with net worth in the tens of millions to a hundred million. Business tycoons are the truly wealthy/powerful, and their net is more in the hundreds of millions to billions. They look at the Timberlakes and their mansion as being quaint.
By all means, focus on the celebs and ignore the greater injustice of the entire system. They are really just the canary in the coal mine. The entire system needs to change. In order for that to happen, we need to vote in a Congress that will vote against their own personal financial gain.
Georgia is actually a swing state this election (per 538 it went blue but is currently back to red). I’m really hopeful my state will vote blue this election. It’s depressing being a liberal in the South.
Glad Hillary is raising money in California, the push to vote needs to stay strong up till the election, she’ll need money for campaigning against Trump craziness.
I’m pulling for GA as well, even though I’m in Chicago. Hope you follow VA’s lead–that used to be dark red and it is turning very blue.
I’m looking at Katie Holmes (I think) and wondering what the hell she is wearing.
Photo booth shots are hilarious!
That’s not Katie Holmes in the white if that’s what your referring too. I don’t know who that chick is but it’s certainly not Katie.
Maya Henry. She’s a “teen for Hillary” who just had a $6 mill quincenaera…. her instagram is all about $ for celeb access
The amount of money spent on political campaigns is sickening. Especially when you think what that money could be used for? Instead of using it to get votes.
Realistic however without completly changing our political structure you need money to run campaigns.
I was thinking the same thing. I’m in Louisiana right now and it made me sick when I saw the headline. The money wasted and IMO it is 100% wasted. To think of the people, children, animals, etc. that all of this money could help and it is wasted on someone who is already rich. Oh and this goes for both parties before that argument starts. I see so many people who will never recover, who have lost everything, and its barely getting coverage or help from the famous celebrities but lets give more money to Clinton. Unreal…
It’s not just Clinton getting big donations. I just heard the Koch bros pledged $900 million to this election. Hillary won’t see a dime of that.
“and it is wasted on someone who is already rich”
That is not what it is used for. It doesn’t go to “someone”, it fund campaigns. Renting offices, printing materials, buying ad space on TV, internet and print. It would be better if funds didn’t equal being heard, but that is where we are right now.
SICKENING GO HELP OUT THE POOR OR GO TO LA FLOOD
is it me or is JT not aging well?
I don’t think he is either. He’s been looking bloated lately
I’m wondering if he has a medical condition. Possibly a thyroid problem that might explain how buggy his eyes have been looking lately.
He makes googly eyes in every photo and it wigs me out. To me his eyes look like they are about to pop out of his head in every pic.
He’s got the crazy-eye. My cats make it after they’ve pooped and are running around with poo-phoria.
I was reading up yesterday on the number of swing states that are in play this year of not only going to Hilary but in some cases voting blue for the first time. North Carolina was one example and considering that bastard Pat McCory is also in danger of losing his seat I have to say – blech – thanks to Justin and etc. that money is going to a good cause of down ticket politicians and making the Trump association and connection clear.
I hope I’m not the only one sad seeing how much money goes into these campaigns that could do so much to repair actual issues in the states. For me it’s not trump vs. Hillary on this it’s about how 3.3 million could change education in a low income area and in turn that would ease tensions of financial inequality, yet they poured it into a political campaign.
Exactly and Hillary needs money like a fish needs water.
that cracks me up – fish do need water, right?
“Hillary” isn’t getting the money. It is a donation to her (and congressional) campaigns for renting office spaces, ad buys on TV, internet and print, staff, etc. It isn’t like this is going into her bank account.
I agree 100% with Piper–I find it very distasteful when candidates from either party have these wildly expensive fundraisers with celebrities.
I mean she didn’t have time to go to Louisiana but she can make time for fried chicken with Jessica Biel? Seriously?
The Governor of Louisiana, John Edwards, has said he does not want either candidate stomping in the state right now. They need donations and supplies, not a photo op.
States with disasters ask politicians to wait because they distract from recovery. Feds just have to release money for FEMA.
If you hate these fundraisers are you working to overturn the Citizens United decision?
“If you hate these fundraisers are you working to overturn the Citizens United decision? ”
THIS!!!!
Cher also hosted a Clinton fundraiser in Provincetown and made some hilarious statements about Drumpf
EW documented Cher’s comments. It was gold! Really go to EW and read her comments or watch the video.
I wonder what the Clinton fundraiser in Montana last week earned? Tickets were like $100 lol.
These celebrity fundraisers have nothing to do with the Citizens United case—that case was about independent political expenditures by non-profit corporations, it has zero to do with private fundraising with rich voters like both HRC and DT do and do often.
I still agree with Piper—I will always find it tone deaf for politicians of either stripe to throw these astronomically priced fundraisers with celebs.
For some reason I misread the header and thought they only raised $3+! Well good for them.
I’m not sure why anyone would verbally support the rich and out-of-touch who are supporting the rich and out-of-touch. I guess you pro Hillary (or Trump) crowd want to believe that Hillary (or Trump) care about you and your causes… but they don’t. If we demanded better we would get better… but we don’t; so all of our choices suck.
For all of us- please stop being so easily manipulated.
I don’t think Hilary cares about me (or people like me), but I do think that Hilary in the white house will not have anywhere near as negative an impact on my life as Trump in the white house. It’s self preservation, really, for me to support Hilary over Trump.
Its almost sad when you see a picture of jen aniston next to a really pretty woman and then you realise how mediocre she is looking and then you think about all the “titles” she won like most sexy of a decade or most beautiful in people or so many other beautytitles she won in some (bought) magazine votings.Its so weird and unreal what a powerful pr agency can do for you and fool everyone. Its nothing wrong with being medicre looking, but she and her team sell her as if shes cindy crawford 1995.
Funny and sad.
Wow, it’s almost like the definition of beautiful is subjective…