Kardashian charity controversy
Kim Kardashian under fire for only giving 10 percent of proceeds to typhoon victims
LOS ANGELES – Kim Kardashian hit headlines last week when it was revealed that just 10 percent of the proceeds from her eBay wardrobe auction were being donated to the International Medical Corps’ relief fund for the victims of the Philippines Typhoon disaster.
The reality star, whose net worth is estimated at $40 million, was widely slammed for not donating at least a little more than the minimal amount required by Giving Works, eBay’s charitable arm. But now Kardashian is addressing the controversy on her personal website with a blog post entitled, “Giving Comes From the Heart.”
“Being in the public eye, there are times I feel like I get criticized for any and everything I do. I’m used to it now. I just choose not to feed into the negativity or become consumed by it,” she laments. “The problem comes in when I get attacked for giving and trying to help people.”
Kardashian stresses that her late father, O.J Simpson defense attorney Robert Kardashian, instilled in her the importance of giving back, and assures readers that she does not publicize everything she does to “help charities and people all over the world.”
“I do it because I want to. I do it because my dad taught me to. I do it because it’s the right thing to do. So for people to attack me for giving ten percent of my eBay auction sales to the people of the Philippines, that hurts,” she writes. “In regards to these eBay auctions, when the eBay numbers get broken down, the auction management agency that posts for me gets a percentage for all their hard work, then eBay listing fees, end of auction fees, eBay store fees, PayPal fees etc. All that add up to about half of the sale. Then I give 10% to charity… The people of the Philippines need our help, no matter how big or small.”
Last week, sources told FOX411 that Kardashian does make a profit from the auction – eBay takes roughly 9 percent for eBay fees on fashion items, as well as 2.9 percent for domestic and 3.9 percent for international payments received. The auction promoters also take an undisclosed cut from the final sales.
But despite Kardashian’s detailed explanation of her donations, many critics in the Twitterverse remain less-than-impressed.
“Seriously, NEVER Give Kim Kardashian money for charity,” one wrote in response to the blog post, while another exclaimed, “you should give 100% of the profits to Charity....You have enough money to Cover all the other ‘Expenses.’ Another weighed in: “Give it all if u really cared. That would b from the ❤ Not making $ & brag about 10%.”
But some fans advocated their support for the prominent reality star.
“I think it is wonderfully generous of you to donate to charities as much as you do,” tweeted one, while another added: “That's awesome!! You don't ever have to justify what you do. We all know that you are a generous, good person.”
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