On Friday, YouTube stars The Try Guys hosted a fundraising livestream to support five organizations on the ground helping people impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires.
Before the event even aired, fundraising totals reached over $1 million, with $10,000 more donated within the first 15 minutes of the stream.
With a goal of $2 million, hosts Zach Kornfeld, Keith Habersberger (of Try Guys fame) and Ethan Nestor (a gaming YouTuber) opened the livestream encouraging viewers to donate — even just a dollar.
“Every little bit helps,” Habersberger said at the top of the stream. “If you can donate a lot, if you can donate a little; a lot of people donating a little actually does a lot.”
Funds raised will be divided among five charities, including World Central Kitchen, Community Organized Relief Effort, California Fire Foundation, the LA Fire Department Wildfire Emergency Fund, and Baby2Baby.
Guests included in the livestream include creators and celebrities such as Ben Schwartz, Jason Segel, Jean Smart, Ke Huy Quan, Rob Reiner, Josh Brolin, Rhett & Link, Markiplier, Josh Gad, Alyssa Milano, and many more.
“We’ve got tons of incredible creators coming through, tons of celeb-os who want to come to hang out with us,” Kornfeld said. “This began as a bunch of different creators talking about doing their own livestreams. We got connected to this team who said ‘maybe we could do something bigger,’ and we’ve decided to pool our efforts together.”
Ultimately, the creators came together with the fundraising platform Tiltify to bring the event to life.
The hosts also shared at the top of the show that the Josh Brolin Family Foundation would match donations up to $500,000. Other top donors included Youtuber Sean ‘Jacksepticeye’ McLoughlin, who donated $100,000, as well as The Yard, a popular YouTube channel and podcast, which donated $50,000.
Along with direct donations, viewers could bid on auction items, as well as shop merchandise that benefits the on-the-ground organizations.
“The wildfires in California have left Los Angeles devastated, with over 180,000 people displaced, tens of thousands of acres burned, and countless families left without homes, businesses, or communities to return to,” a description of the livestream shared.
“Everyone involved today wants to support each other,” Kornfeld added. “We all love this city. We love the people in this city. This is about helping people in need.”
The livestream will run until 7 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on Friday, January 24.
This story will be edited to share updated donation totals as the livestream concludes.
Header image courtesy of The Try Guys/Instagram
