As a huge fan of ’90s shows like Charmed and Melrose Place (and all their cheesy counterparts), I’ve happily followed along with the careers of many of the stars. I can’t say that Alyssa Milano has starred in a particularly compelling TV series or movie lately, but maybe that’s because she spends so much time talking about politics.
No one was thrilled when Elon Musk purchased Twitter and renamed it X (and all the problematic things that have happened since, like Musk’s recent letter aimed at advertisers). However, Milano angered a lot of people when she said in a November 2022 episode of The View that Musk could have handed $40 billion over to UNICEF instead of purchasing an entire social media platform. In her own words, she said,
“I’m so annoyed with all of these billionaires — with, like, the exception of a few — but especially Elon Musk. You buy Twitter to destroy it for $40 billion. $40 billion! Elon Musk, imagine if he donated that money to UNICEF. He would change the world. There would be no hunger.”
Some X users are fans of Musk and, naturally, hated what the actress had to say. It’s easy to guess how they vote, but I digress. It’s almost a guarantee that any time Musk faces criticism, his army of fanboys is ready to attack. Some, like @iwanttovote3, pointed out that the star spends a lot of money and could practice what she preaches: “Imagine if Alyssa Milano stopped Botox and coloring her hair and fired her makeup artist.” Because surely all of those things are equal to $40 billion.
X user @LairdOfTheManor called Milano “a C grade actress” and said that Hollywood stars are unnecessary, unlike public servants who have jobs that help people, such as farmers, doctors, and teachers. While, of course, those jobs are necessary, I’m not a fan of the argument that celebrities shouldn’t have political opinions. It’s also totally wrong to say being an actor isn’t a worthy profession, but that’s another issue. (As Joan Didion said, “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.”)
First of all, Milano isn’t wrong. Musk has a net worth of over $200 billion, and he could absolutely donate a small chunk of that money to a long list of worthy causes. His charity donations are questionable at best, as according to Business Insider, almost 50% of the money he gave in 2021 and 2022 was somehow connected to his companies, which isn’t great to hear. But does anyone really expect Musk to end world hunger? Given his track record as a businessman and a human being (just think about his relationship history and all those kids he doesn’t seem to actually take care of), I wouldn’t expect him to show compassion anytime soon. Plus, does the world really want the man who created the Cybertruck to try his hand at ending world hunger? No thanks.
Second of all, it is a fair point to suggest Milano has enough money to spread the wealth. According to Celebrity Net Worth, her net worth is estimated around $4 million. While that doesn’t even come close to what Musk has in the bank, it is enough so that she didn’t need to set up a GoFundMe for her children to play sports that one weird time.
But, while some celebrities absolutely should do more to help others (and no, dressing up for a charity dinner doesn’t count), Milano has been a political activist for a while now. X user @BrianDWestman pointed out “She’s been an ambassador for UNICEF for 2 decades” and added, “So her money is where her mouth is.” People reported on many of Milano’s UNICEF trips in 2022. This is an organization that is clearly important to her.
While I don’t think she should ever run for Congress, as Deadline reported she was thinking about in 2021, I don’t have a problem with the Charmed actress speaking her mind about Musk. It was also hilarious when she tweeted that she got rid of her Tesla. While she might have more money than most people, no one can argue her point that billionaires have too much power and not enough compassion.