Actor George Clooney hosted a star-studded fundraiser for President Obama, that was expected to bring in $15 million for the Obama campaign.
The fundraiser was held at Clooney’s house in Studio City and the 150 tickets were going for $40,000 a piece.
The fundraiser was hosted by Dreamworks Animation Chief, Jeffrey Katzenberg and the dinner was provided by chef Wolfgang Puck.
The dinner brought out many celebrities including: Robert Downey Jr., Barbra Streisand, Tobey Maguire, Eddie Murphy, Jack Black, Billy Crystal, Salma Hayek, Stacy Keibler, designer Trina Turk, J.J. Abrams, Rob Reiner, James Brolin, Diane Von Furstenburg and Barry Diller, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
One of the reasons the fundraiser was one of the largest in terms of money intake, was because the Obama campaign raffled off two tickets for donors who could not afford to pay $40,000 for a regular ticket. The minimum donation a person could make was $3. The two winners were both women from New Jersey and Florida.
Hollywood’s enthusiasm hasn’t been as high for Obama during this election cycle. However, many political analysts believe that Obama may have reenergized the entertainment industry’s excitement after coming out in support for gay marriage on Wednesday.
Since his endorsement of gay marriage, Glee’s Ryan Murphy has already set up a fundraiser for the President next month.
Republicans have already criticized the President for the fundraiser.
“President Obama is headed to Hollywood to hobnob with celebrities while the middle class continues to be squeezed by Obama’s policies,” said Kirsten Kukowski, spokesperson for the Republican National Committee.