Katy Perry's Clinton endorsement scrutinized after revelation she was paid thousands

Katy Perry reportedly paid $70,000 for Hillary endorsement.

(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

last updated 20 February 2016

Katy Perry was paid $70,000 by Hillary Clinton's campaign, The Washington Free Beacon reports. Perry was notably one of the first major celebrities to come out in support of Clinton; she was paid by the campaign for "event production" two months after she offered her endorsement.

Yet even before the reports came out, Perry's endorsement was being called into question. In a since-deleted Twitter rant on Wednesday, singer Ryn Weaver accused Perry of a "$$ endorsement."

#ImWithHer -KatyA photo posted by Hillary Clinton (@hillaryclinton) on Oct 24, 2015 at 4:00pm PDT

While it isn't clear what specifically Perry was paid for by the campaign, the singer did headline Clinton events, including an Iowa rally, in October. Perry is performing with Elton John at a concert for campaign donors in March.

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Clinton's campaign is not the first to have paid Perry for her services; the singer was paid more than $128,000 by Barack Obama when he was seeking re-election.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.