Alyssa Milano has been hit with a wave of backlash after she started a fundraising page for her son's basketball trip.
Milano and her husband, David Bugliari, started a GoFundMe campaign on behalf of their son's 12U baseball squad, dubbing it a "travel fund" to assist the team in reaching the Cooperstown destination for a major baseball tournament, along with covering additional expenses such as uniforms and family dues.
In her social media post, Milano wrote: "My son’s baseball team is raising money for their Cooperstown trip. Any amount would be so greatly appreciated. You can read more about the team and make a donation here," providing a link to the GoFundMe page with a $10,000 fundraising goal.
Despite the funds reportedly benefiting the entire team, not just Milano's son, the online community has expressed displeasure.
Many questioned why a prominent figure like Milano, presumed to be financially well-off, is resorting to crowdfunding for a youth baseball trip.
While jokes at Milano's expense circulate, a notable observation is that her name does not appear among the visible donors on the campaign page, as reported by TMZ.
People took to social media to express their thoughts, with one critic saying: "Why isn't Alyssa Milano paying for the trip for the whole team herself? Why is she asking for money from people who can barely buy groceries."
A second said: "I’m trying not to be salty but Alyssa Milano asking for donations for her son’s baseball team while I’m trying to refill all my life-saving meds before the end of this month due to tech layoffs is sending me."
There were supporters of Milano, as one person wrote: "Made a small but heartfelt contribution. Sounds like a great experience for them."
A second said: "Sounds like a great trip, Alyssa. Hope he has a fantastic time."
It seems as if the GoFundMe page had the desired impact, as at the time of writing it has received $7,656 out of the $10,000 target.
Milano has yet to address the controversy.
In other news relating to the star, following Elon Musk's $44 billion takeover of Twitter in 2022, Milano publicly announced her decision to part ways with her Tesla and opt for a Volkswagen instead.
Milano, renowned for her role as Phoebe Halliwell in the hit series Charmed, explained her decision: "I gave back my Tesla. I bought the VW ev. I love it. I'm not sure how advertisers can buy space on Twitter. Publicly traded company's products being pushed in alignment with hate and white supremacy doesn't seem to be a winning business model."
Once again, Milano faced some backlash, with users pointing out the historical association of Volkswagen with the Nazi regime.
Milano later addressed the controversy on The View, emphasizing that Elon Musk could have directed the $44 billion spent on acquiring Twitter toward more philanthropic endeavors.
"You buy Twitter to destroy it ... Imagine if he donated that money to UNICEF. He would change the world. There would be no hunger!" Milano asserted.