Hope for Haiti Now
Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief was a charity telethon held on January 22, 2010, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (January 23, 2010 from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. UTC). The telethon was the most widely distributed telethon in history.[3] The event was broadcast from Studio 36 at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, New York and a private club, The Hospital, in London.[4][5] There were also live reports from Haiti.
Hope for Haiti Now
Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief
George Clooney
Wyclef Jean
Joel Gallen
MTV Networks[1]
George Clooney
Anderson Cooper
Wyclef Jean
English
2 hours
MTV Networks
January 22, 2010
Initial plans for the telethon were announced by MTV Networks on January 15, 2010, three days after the 2010 Haiti earthquake struck on January 12 that is assumed to have claimed the lives of about 200,000 people. The event was one of a number of humanitarian responses to the earthquake. Processing of the telethon's donations was in the hands of the Entertainment Industry Foundation.[6] The telethon was patterned after the form begun with the 2001 America: A Tribute to Heroes program and continued with the 2005 Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.
Funds raised by the telethon and from the sale of an accompanying album and video, which was immediately made available for pre-order on iTunes, were distributed to seven non-profit organizations doing relief work in Haiti.[6]
Funds were distributed to the following organizations with humanitarian operations in Haiti:[6]
In 2012 The New York Times reported that a forensic audit conducted by the New York Attorney General's office found that much of the money distributed to the Yéle Haiti organization from the telethon was retained by founder Wyclef Jean and his associates for their own benefit.[7]
Audience and proceeds raised[edit]
The event drew an estimated audience of 83 million viewers in the United States between the initial broadcast and web and mobile streams throughout the weekend.[8]
On January 23, it was reported that the telethon had raised over US$58 million, not including corporate and large private donors or sales of the album and video. The amount is a record for donations by the general public to a telethon for disaster-relief.[9] On January 25 the figure was revised to $61 million.[8]
Viewers were encouraged to donate online, calling toll-free (1-877-99-HAITI), by texting or by mail. Donations were accepted up to six months after the broadcast.[8]