After publicly denouncing claims of elder abuse earlier this month, actor John Amos has shut down a fundraiser made in his honor.
Earlier this month, daughter Shannon Amos started a GoFundMe page for her father. In the description for the GoFundMe, Shannon mentioned she received a call from John earlier this year revealing he was hospitalized in the ICU. Shannon went on to note she then uncovered Amos had been the “victim to elder abuse and financial exploitation.”
No details of what type of abuse was made against Amos was mentioned, nor who was doing it. Instead, Shannon mentioned that a “caregiver” was to blame, and that she had been in contact with the Colorado Bureau of Investigations and the local Sheriff’s Department regarding the matter. The GoFundMe was made in an effort to help Shannon prosecute the people involved.
However, the fundraiser is no longer available online. According to a recent report from TMZ, a spokesperson for GoFundMe, John Amos declined the funds.
“Ensuring that donors’ intentions are honored is our top priority,” said a spokesperson for GoFundMe to TMZ. “However, upon being informed that Mr. Amos wished to decline the funds raised on his behalf, the GoFundMe was put under review by our Trust & Safety team and then removed from our platform.”
The fundraiser had raised $13,000 from 300 different people. That money will be refunded to donors, says GoFundMe.
What did John Amos say about the elder abuse claims?
In a statement to TMZ earlier this month, Amos denounced his daughter’s claim as an outright lie. Not only is he not being abused, Amos said, but he also isn’t “fighting for his life” in the hospital. Amos also said that he has no idea why his daughter has started the GoFundMe.
A representative for Amos, Belinda Foster, stated Amos’ hospitalization is his lower body filling and causing heart issues. Foster claimed doctors have drained the fluid, and that Amos is beginning to feel better.
Amos is best known for his role as the adult Kunta Kinte in the iconic miniseries Roots, but has also starred in a litany of other shows and films. These include Good Times, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The West Wing, Die Hard 2, and Coming to America.