Kylie Jenner has spoken out after she sparked a furious backlash over a GoFundMe post.
The fundraiser was for makeup artist Samuel Rauda, who was badly injured in a crash and has undergone major surgery.
In a post on Instagram stories on Thursday (18 March), Jenner said: "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 [sic] go fund me."
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Ordinarily, this would be quite a nice thing to do. Similarly, the fact the 23-year-old has made a $5,000 donation herself would also, ordinarily, be considered very nice.
However, people were less than impressed, pointing out Jenner's own vast wealth - she was the highest-earning celebrity last year, pocketing a staggering $540 million (£389 million) pre-tax.
But now Jenner - who has 222 million followers on Instagram - has defended herself, claiming the whole scandal has been 'twisted'.
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In a post on Instagram stories, she said: "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.
"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 learning in more detail about the accident it compelled me to visit his GoFundMe which was set at 10K. They had already raised 6K so I put in 5K to reach their original goal and thought I'd post on my stories to gain more awareness if anyone also felt compelled to share or donate.
"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 added: "Anyone that knows me knows that I do things from the heart and I try to be helpful whenever I can be."
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So there you have it, there's her side of the story. I'll let you decide whether that will placate the masses on social media, who were essentially stunned that someone who earns hundreds of millions of dollars a year could encourage their followers to donate to an acquaintance's fundraiser.
One person wrote: "I can't stand Kylie Jenner's influence. From posting pictures of her closet, with purses worth more than people will see in a lifetime, to her posing with multiple vehicles, while asking people to donate to her friend's medical fund when she could have paid it quietly? Nah."
The backlash on Twitter tells the story:
Hopefully Sam gets better soon.
Topics: Viral, Celebrity, Kylie Jenner
