Alyssa Milano GoFundme public relations disaster as actress is condemned for abusing fundraiser and her status as celebrity to ask the public to fund her son’s baseball team trip.
A wealthy Hollywood celebrity actress married to a successful media agent and who has spent most of her life on America’s television screens (and collecting ongoing residuals) has defended posting a GoFundme fundraiser asking for donations for her 12 year old son’s baseball team trip.
The Charmed star and former Who’s the Boss child actress who is believed to be a multimillionaire – set up the online fundraiser herself under her married name Alyssa Bugliari, and then shared it to her 3.4M followers on X.
Except the fundraiser didn’t necessarily go down well with ‘hand to foot’ social media netizens who objected to the multi-millionaire asking them to fund her son’s expedition.
Millions in the bank and living in a gated community
Milano, 51, no shortage to access to ‘money under the mattress’ is married to powerhouse Hollywood agent David Bugliari, 43, who used to be a co-head of the motion picture department at CAA.
Fans widely mocked the actress’ post, flooding the post with memes, including one that said the actress ‘identifies as poor’ when it is time to pay the bills.
After receiving backlash, Milano defended herself on X, telling followers she has paid ‘for uniforms for the entire team and coaches’ herself as well as thrown birthday parties and sponsored ‘any kid who can’t afford monthly dues.’
She added: ‘The kids also do fundraising themselves—car washes, movie nights, and many other fun things! Thank you to all who have contributed to the gofundme! You’ve made things easier for these boys and their families.’
Milano and Bugliari married in 2009, and in addition to their 12-year-old son Milo, they also have a nine-year-old daughter called Elizabella.
The couple and their two children live in a reportedly $2.5 million, five-bedroom home in an upscale gated community in Bell Canyon, about 20 miles north of Los Angeles.
Tone deaf?
She posted the GoFundMe to X Thursday, writing: ‘My son’s baseball team is raising money for their Cooperstown trip. Any amount would be so greatly appreciated.’
Criticism poured in on social media, including from one X user who wrote: ‘I’m sure she’s getting residuals as we speak.’
‘Why isn’t Alyssa Milano paying for the trip for the whole team herself?’ wrote another. ‘Why is she asking for money from people who can barely buy groceries.’
Another social media user wondered: ‘Do rich people really just completely lose touch with reality. She has people living pay check to pay check pitching in for her son. WTF has happened to us.’
‘You’re a rich actress in Hollywood and you’re begging for money for your kid?’ wrote another X user. ‘Pay for it yourself you miserable t***.’
‘#AlyssaMilano would like to know if people could also donate to pay for her toilet paper and possibly her snacks,’ wrote another.
Still another X user wrote: ‘Alyssa Milano when it’s time to pay the bill,’ with a gif of Chris Rock joking onstage: ‘I identify as poor.’
Abusing GoFundme & exploiting privilege
While one social media commentator stated: ‘Go fund me was originally meant for people in desperate circumstances like needing an operation or needing money for a loved ones funeral. People now have turned into asking money for luxuries. Do what we did years ago when we wanted something we couldn’t afford. Either charge it, save your money or do without. She hit a low asking people to fund her son’s trip. Worse is the people giving her the money.’
Chimed in another, ‘It should be up to the parents to fund this kind of thing or have the kids do fundraisers with parent support, or just not go on this trip at all. My parents never expected other people to fund my extracurricular activities as a kid. I can’t believe there are people out there who donated to this!’
Milano had defenders as well, such as one who argued on X: ‘Why would the other parents expect her to pay for all the team stuff? The kids need to raise the money, she thought she was helping.’
‘Made a small but heartfelt contribution,’ commented one follower. ‘Sounds like a great experience for them.’
‘This is awesome. You’ve done so much for so many,’ added one more.
One of her supporters wrote in her replies: ‘It’s unreal, right away, just because you’re an actress, people think you have to fund the entire thing. There’s not a damn thing wrong with your doing this. It’s a great example for the kids to see you as Alyssa the Mom, not Alyssa the actress. This world is overrun with/Karens!’
‘I know,’ replied Milano. ‘And I would if I could.’ (never-mind – that the actress probably could pay for team’s trip many times over…)
The actress does not appear among the named donors on the GoFundMe page, though a number of the donations were anonymous.
Come Friday afternoon, the GoFundMe which was launched with a $10,000 goal, had raised more than $8,200, a day after Milano’s controversial post on X.
Don’t you wish you were a privileged Hollywood celebrity who can just turn on the spigot and take advantage of the public’s fascination and collect the raindrops….?
Or then again perhaps Alyssa and the team parents could sell some cakes and homemade lemonade on the front lawn like most parents in America do when it comes to earnest fundraising …
