Ever donated to the Kids Wish Network? Hate to break it to you, but that might’ve been a damp squib charitable investment. And that’s not our take. Multi-million dollar podcaster Joe Rogan has called out KWN as a shady operation, accusing them of running a hollow system designed to squeeze money out of well-meaning donors. What did the podcaster say about the network and how shady it is, you ask? Well, let’s find out.

While speaking on his podcast, the UFC color commentator revealed that the Kids Wish Network spent less than 14 cents of every dollar on the actual cause for the kids: “Kids Wish Network, look at this. They raised $127 million, they paid solicitors $109 million, and they spent 2.5% on direct cash aid to the actual kids. Look at the Cancer Fund of America; less than 1% went to the actual thing.”

So, does that mean that Kids Wish Network is just a charity in name and not in the deed? Well, that verdict still isn’t here, but before that, let us have a closer look at the controversy. Back in 2017, the IRS records of the Florida-based Kids Wish Network pulled in nearly $14 million in donations from working-class people. However, less than a single cent on the dollar went toward fulfilling the dilemma of the children battling cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

Further scrutiny of the record from 2017 showcased that the KWN used just $129,064 in actual wish-granting expenditures, but its top two managers, who are responsible for pulling in all the funds, got fat paychecks of combined $340,000, which is arguably triple the amount that was set out to help the withering kids.

By removing the corporate veil of the entity, it becomes clear that the dollars donated by the country’s working-class people were never actually used by the charitable trust for their intended cause. According to further reports, professional fundraisers contracted by the foundation brought in a massive $12.6 million through phone calls and mail campaigns; however, 85% of that, or $10.8 million, was siphoned off as fees and operational costs. The consequence? The kids only ended up with a meagre $1.8 million.

That’s not all; reports suggest that out of their massive $13.9 million in revenue, the entity only spent $4,225 to help with funeral costs for four families who lost children to terminal illnesses. Joe Rogan just highlighted the rising issue of fraudulent charity houses that use mental manipulation to rip off the middle class. Interestingly, it was such a revelation that even Elon Musk had to intervene.

Elon Musk chimes in on Joe Rogan’s findings

Joe Rogan’s findings were shared by ‘WallStreetApes’ on their X handle, and guess who took the matter into his own hands? It was none other than Elon Musk. The Tech Mogul took to his X handle to repost the X post and captioned it as, “When the scams run for long enough with no one paying attention, they literally send zero dollars to the kids. Zero. Many times, I have asked for pictures of the funding recipients. Sometimes, they can’t even come up with a single picture.”

Back in 2013, Kids Wish Network was named as the worst charity in America by the Tampa Bay Times and the Center for Investigative Reporting. Elon Musk is an integral part of the Donald Trump-led government, and he was also named as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE); hence, he has the means to lead an investigation now, if he deems it necessary. With growing concerns from top names like Joe Rogan and Elon Musk, the American charitable society definitely has questions that have yet been left unanswered.