David Chang's final answer just helped him make a bit of TV history.
The celebrity chef won $1 million for charity on Sunday's episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, becoming the first celebrity ever to do so, People reports.
Chang won thanks to his answer to a question about the first president to have electricity in the White House. The answer was Benjamin Harrison, which Chang locked in at the suggestion of ESPN's Mina Kimes, who he used his phone-a-friend lifeline to call. Celebrities on the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire revival hosted by Jimmy Kimmel play for charity, and Chang's winnings are going to the non-profit Southern Smoke Foundation, which according to its website "provides funding to individuals in the food and beverage industry who are in crisis."
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"I'm a gambling man, and shame on me if this is wrong, but I'm doing this because having a million dollars right now in this moment is a game-changer for many, many families," Chang said before answering.
Chang told USA Today after the show aired that he's "in shock" and "honestly can't believe it happened," but he explained some of his reasoning for taking the risk and not walking away with $500,000.
"I thought, this is for Southern Smoke, Southern Smoke is for the hospitality industry and we are going through some horrible times," Chang told USA Today. "We are in such a bad shape that half a million dollars isn't enough — and neither is a million dollars — but I wanted to put emphasis on it and raise awareness of the problem, so it was worth the chance." Brendan Morrow
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