Oprah Winfrey & Steven Spielberg match George & Amal Clooney's $500,000 donation to gun control

Publish Date
Wednesday, 21 February 2018, 2:56PM
Photo / Getty Images

Photo / Getty Images

Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg have joined forces with George Clooney to each donate $500,000 to the March for Our Lives rally on Washington in support of gun control following last week's shooting at a Florida high school that left 17 dead.

Winfrey announced in a tweet on Tuesday that should would match the $500,000 donation from Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney.

'George and Amal, I couldn’t agree with you more. I am joining forces with you and will match your $500,000 donation to ‘March For Our Lives,' Winfrey tweeted. 

'These inspiring young people remind me of the Freedom Riders of the 60s who also said we’ve had ENOUGH and our voices will be heard,' she added. 

Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, where a 19-year-old former student is accused of going on a rampage with a semiautomatic AR-15-style assault rifle on Feb. 14, are assisting in planning the march. 

George and Amal were the first to make the financial pledge and also said they will march alongside the students behind the rally on March 24.

The Clooneys said they plan to bring their eight-month-old twins Ella and Alexander whose 'lives depend' on a change to gun laws.

In a statement, Clooney, 56, said: 'Amal and I are so inspired by the courage and eloquence of these young men and women from Stoneman Douglas High School. 

'Our family will be there on March 24 to stand side by side with this incredible generation of young people from all over the country, and in the name of our children Ella and Alexander, we're donating $500,000 to help pay for this groundbreaking event. 

It is the Clooneys' latest good cause. 

In September, the couple pocketed between $200million and $300million from the sale of George's tequila company, Casamigos.

They vowed to use the money on charitable causes that were close to their heart.  

Among those was the education and housing of a Yazidi refugee who they have been putting up in Kentucky. 

They also pledged $20million to their foundation, the Clooney Foundation for Justice. 

Other March for Our Lives events have been planned for Ohio, Washington DC, New York City and Grand Rapids, Michigan. 

Everytown for Gun Safety is helping with the arrangements for each. 

Later on Tuesday, Spielberg and wife Kate Capshaw said they would match the Clooneys' donation. 

 Spielberg and Capshaw, in an emailed statement, said: 'The young students in Florida and now across the country are already demonstrating their leadership with a confidence and maturity that belies their ages.'

It was not immediately clear whether they and Winfrey would attend the march.

Former Walt Disney Studios chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg and his wife Marilyn also matched the Clooneys' donation on Tuesday. 

In a statement to DailyMail.com, he said: 'Marilyn and I are proud to stand with the brave young leaders from Parkland, Florida, who have taken their pain and grief and turned it into action.    

'We will join Amal and George Clooney on March 24 to stand alongside these remarkable young people. 

'We are also donating $500,000 to March for Our Lives to support this historic event.' 

Seventeen people were killed by gunman Nikolas Cruz on February 14. He bought his AR-15 rifle legally.    

The Parkland rally is being organized by five survivors of last week's shooting.

Daily Mail.

Take your Radio, Podcasts and Music with you