Jair Bolsonaro, the president of Brazil, is giving thanks this holiday season for his hatred of a man who surprisingly is not in The Irishman. Per the New York Times, Leonardo DiCaprio received the wrath of the right-wing leader earlier this week when he claimed that the World Wildlife Fund, a prominent environmental organization, had purchased images taken by volunteer firefighters to help solicit donations, which included a $500,000 contribution from DiCaprio. “A part of that went to the people that were setting fires. Leonardo DiCaprio, you are contributing to the fire in the Amazon. That won’t do,” Bolsonaro said. “This Leonardo DiCaprio is a cool guy, right? Giving money to torch the Amazon.”
DiCaprio, who recently donated $5 million to various aid groups responding to the Amazon forest fires, got wind of Bolsonaro’s words and responded with a strong statement of denial on social media. “At this time of crisis for the Amazon, I support the people of Brazil working to save their natural and cultural heritage,” he wrote, in part, on Instagram. “They are an amazing, moving and humbling example of the commitment and passion needed to save the environment. The future of these irreplaceable ecosystems is at stake and I am proud to stand with the groups protecting them. While worthy of support, we did not fund the organizations targeted.”
In addition to his $5 million donation, DiCaprio launched the environmental organization Earth Alliance, as well as the Amazon Forest Fund, with Laurene Powell Jobs (wife of the late Steve Jobs) and Brian Sheth earlier this year. The trio pledged to distribute donations “directly to local partners and the indigenous communities protecting the Amazon.”
