Americans opened up their wallets on Tuesday night (Sept. 12), pouring in donations for the Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief telethon to the tune of $44 million at press time, according to ABC News. The one-hour prime-time event organized by manager Scooter Braun and Houston rapper Bun B and featuring appearances by Justin Timberlake, Pastor John Gray, Dave Matthews, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Justin Bieber, Gwen Stefani, George Clooney and many more was organized to provide aid to residents of Texas and Florida impacted by hurricanes Irma and Harvey.
During the event The Late Show host Stephen Colbert announced that Apple would donate $5 million to the cause, with Albertsons Cos. and Merck each offering up $1 million each. Houston Rockets star Chris Paul also revealed that in addition to his $20,000 donation, the NBA Players Association would be adding $500,000, plus matching any professional basketball player's donation up to $20,000.