Miranda Kerr & Evan Spiegel donated millions to erase Californians’ medical debt

Whenever I think of Miranda Kerr, I’m always a bit surprised that she’s still married to Evan Spiegel. I still remember when they started up, and how thrilled Miranda was to finally be attached to a billionaire. Still, they’ve always seemed to be such an odd couple, and in recent years, they only go out together in public maybe once or twice a year. Miranda was so busy having babies for several years as well – she has three sons with Evan, an 8-year-old, a 6-year-old and a 2-year-old, and that’s in addition to Flynn Bloom, her 15-year-old son with Orlando Bloom. Well, Evan and Miranda are still married and they are incredibly generous with their charitable giving. Honestly, good on them. Miranda and Even donated millions to pay off Californians’ medical debt.

Snap Chief Executive Evan Spiegel and his wife, supermodel Miranda Kerr, have helped pay off $550 million in medical debt for more than 261,000 Californians. The couple made a multimillion-dollar donation to Undue Medical Debt, a nonprofit that provides debt relief to people in financial need. The organization acquires medical debt in bulk from hospitals, physician groups, collection agencies and other groups for a fraction of the cost.

“When someone you love is sick. All you want to do is focus on helping them get better,” Kerr said in a video with Spiegel. “That’s why we wanted to support this effort and help relieve medical debt, so families can focus on caring for their loved ones and really supporting their healing.”

The couple and the nonprofit didn’t disclose the exact amount of the donation, but a small gift can go a long way. Every $10 donated to Undue Medical Debt relieves an average of $1,000 in medical debt. The gift comes as Americans struggle with the medical debt and rising cost of living. California is one of the most expensive states to live in because of soaring housing costs and energy prices. Concerns about wealth inequality have sparked heated political debates about how much billionaires should contribute.

In the United States, 1 in 4 adults are in medical debt, said Undue Medical Debt President and Chief Executive Allison Sesso in a statement. “It’s a growing crisis undermining healthcare access, economic wellbeing and mental health and we’re so grateful that Evan Spiegel and Miranda Kerr share our belief that no one should go bankrupt because of a cancer diagnosis and no family should have to choose between insulin and groceries,” she said.

Californians whose medical debt have been paid off will start receiving a letter in mid-July from Undue Medical Debt informing them of the debt relief. Individuals can’t request debt relief because the nonprofit acquires bundled debt for thousands of people at once. Those who qualify for debt relief either earn at or below 400% of the federal poverty level or have medical debt that is more than 5% of their income, the nonprofit says on its website.

San Diego County residents benefited the most from the donation with total medical debt relief through the couple’s gift totaling roughly $99 million and affecting 40,369 people. In Los Angeles County, the gift provided $26.7 million in medical debt relief to 17,466 people, according to the nonprofit.

Spiegel, whose net worth is roughly $2 billion, and Kerr have helped relieve debt for others in the past. In 2022, the couple paid off the student loans for the Otis College of Art and Design’s graduating class. In 2025, Spiegel was among business leaders and philanthropists who helped form the Department of Angels, a group that aims to help L.A.’s fire recovery efforts. The California Community Foundation, Snap, Spiegel and Snapchat co-founder Bobby Murphy committed $10 million to help start that group.

[From The LA Times]

I’m trying to track the numbers here – are they saying that Miranda and Evan donated at least $125.7 million between San Diego and LA? That’s astounding if true. But it’s not! I just realized something about Undue Medical Debt – they’re buying people’s medical debt and in essence settling those debts for a fraction of the debt’s face-value. As in, the $125.7 million figure (between San Diego and LA’s now-settled debt) is the technical amount “owed,” but the debts are being settled for a fraction of that. This is like when credit card companies sell off their debts to third-party collection agencies. What Miranda and Evan actually did was donate to Undue Medical Debt so that the charity could act as a collection agency and “buy debt” only to erase it.

This brings up something I’ve always believed: when you’re a wealthy person and you make a huge charitable donation or endowment, you should absolutely publicize it. I know people are like “it’s classier to keep it secret” but if you publicize the donation with the specific dollar amount, it actually raises awareness of the charity/cause and drives more donations.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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21 Responses to “Miranda Kerr & Evan Spiegel donated millions to erase Californians’ medical debt”

  1. molly says:

    Ever since John Oliver donated to erase medical debt on his Last Week Tonight show, it’s one of the top things I’d do if I were filthy rich. The American healthcare system sucks in a million ways, and this is pennies on the dollar to wave a magic wand and directly impact someone who needs it.

  2. JuliePines says:

    Announced RIGHT AFTER he announced his “specs” video glasses. Obvious. Sure its a good deed, but its being….misused.

  3. Andrea says:

    I am a Registered Nurse in a California Prison mental health hospital (CDCR CHCF Stockton) because of Evan Spiegel. He donated $20 million to Stockton Scholars, a scholarship program in Stockton, California. At the time (2022) it was for people who intended to stay and work in the Stockton area, in healthcare. I was a Psychiayric Technician which is equivalent to an LVN. This scholarship program paid for my education to get my RN license. All fees, textbooks, uniforms, gas money, child care costs, money for emergencies.

    • Lala11_7 says:

      How 😍…finding THIS out changes my perception about them

      • Andrea says:

        It’s an amazing generous program, three of my co workers became LCSW’s. Another one is finishing up a medical social worker program with emphasis on Diabetic Care. This one he collaborated with Abbott. Everything paid for as well. He has a heart for medical and mental health issues in minority communities. And he wants people already working and living in this area to advance.

    • molly says:

      That’s awesome, I love reading about things like this! Thanks for all the important work you do.

  4. Mightymolly says:

    Scream it from the rooftops! The grocery store this morning was playing a radio talk show with this news. And they were giving details on how medical debt destroys lives. We need a more informed electorate, and if celebrity names get people interested in a topic, then the donation’s impact goes even further.

  5. Caseysmom says:

    Good on them. It doesn’t matter if the actual donation for $500,000 or $5 million. This is changing lives.

    And perhaps they are still a couple BECAUSE they don’t seek the spotlight?

  6. backyard mogul says:

    I agree about publicizing this type of charity – maybe it will spur other billionaires to do the same thing. This is really changing peoples lives in a meaningful way.

  7. Nev says:

    INCREDIBLE.

  8. SarahCS says:

    Strong yes to publicising these donations, the more this is talked about the better.

    I also appreciate that they’re highlighting the ‘cost’ of debt. Micheal Sheen did something similar in Wales where he bought the debt for far less than the people ‘owed’ so he could clear it. If that doesn’t tell you what a scam this all is nothing does. It’s expensive being poor.

    • Denise says:

      You mean Wales in UK? I thought they had public funded healthcare?

      • Chanteloup says:

        from what I read on Good Samaritan Awards, Sheen bought “debt” not specifically medical debt to help people in Wales. Good on him!

        ‘More people owe money than in any other time in history. Household debt is at an all time high, with many borrowers unable to make more than just the minimum payments. It is a crippling epidemic that leaves many citizens feeling trapped and hopeless, unable to escape the aggressive interest rates and a growing mountain of debt.

        ‘But Michael Sheen, the famed Welsh actor of stage and screen, has made it his mission to help those suffering under those conditions. Sheen has spent over $120,000 of his own money to write off nearly $1.3 million dollars worth of debt accumulated by residents of his hometown around Port Talbot, Wales.

        ‘In Sheen’s hometown of Port Talbot [Wales], residents are really struggling. The closure of steelwork furnaces and manufacturing plants have resulted in a spread of hardship. In fact, 30% of children in that town live in poverty, so Sheen’s contributions are surely to help a vulnerable sect of the population.

  9. Tiffany says:

    I remember years ago I had to go to Urgent Care and there was a remaining balance of 75.00 due. I never got the invoice because they incorrectly inputed my address there. When I went to run a credit check, I saw the hit and then all of a sudden I was getting collection letters (funny how my address was correct on that). I got in touch with the agency that bought my debt and they wanted 350.00 from me. I said no and that I would pay what was initially owed as I never got the final invoice to begin with due to the office incompetence. They accepted it.

    What a racket these agencies are. When you call them, tell then you will settle for what the balance was only.

    • alexc says:

      Almost the exact thing happened to me but with an ambulance ride. I never knew anything was due until a collection agency contacted me and they were VICIOUS. I don’t know how anyone can do this for a living.

  10. Chaine says:

    TBH it’s so rare now to see a billionaire doing anything socially meaningful–I’ll take it! Even if they themselves are not personally paying off the debt, they are contributing to a fund that will help erase the debts and make some people’s lives a little better.

    • Nana says:

      She lost her mum to cancer quite a few years ago, and has raised awareness in several campaigns in Australia since then, where health access is much more equitable (although increasingly privatised here, you don’t miss out if you can’t afford cancer treatment or emergency care). It’s good they are taking their support to the next level -love the points made in the LA times article about the moral obligations on billionaires to contribute.

  11. MinnieMouse says:

    The way Undue works is that they go to hospitals and buy up medical debt for pennies on the dollar – basically looking for folks who most likely can’t repay, and therefore convincing the hospitals that this is the only way they will actually see any cash. Then once they are the owners of the debt, they forgive it. It’s a really neat organization, and they have it down to a science where they can get as much bang for their buck as possible. It’s generally a 1:100 ratio, so if they Spiegels were able to get $550million debt erased, it’s likely they donated about $5.5 million. Wonderful of them to do, and such an easy way for more billionaires to whitewash their image – I say no nit-picking about ‘that’s like two bucks to them’, gas them up like crazy so more mega wealthy are excited to toss some cash this organization’s way!

    • here2 says:

      Exactly, they don’t “have” to contribute anything, so if they gave $5.5 million (or less, or more) I say let’s celebrate it. It’s miles better than anything Bezos squanders his ill-gotten gains on.

  12. Ciotog says:

    Gov. Pritzker and the state of Illinois have been doing something similar.

  13. Chanteloup says:

    Good for them!!!

    they go way to the bottom of the eating list

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