• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
SuccessHollywood

Julia Roberts is auctioning off a private lunch to raise money for striking actors and writers

By
Chloe Taylor
Chloe Taylor
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chloe Taylor
Chloe Taylor
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 14, 2023, 11:18 AM ET
Tommaso Boddi—Getty Images

Hollywood icon Julia Roberts, star of Pretty Woman and Erin Brockovich, is the latest big-name actor to financially back her striking colleagues.

Recommended Video

The Oscar-winning actress is auctioning off a private meet-and-greet over lunch for a fan and one guest, in a bid to raise cash for those who cannot work because of the ongoing writers’ and actors’ strikes.

Funds raised from the lunch—which includes a meal, 90 minutes with Roberts, and a photo op—will go to the Entertainment Community Fund and the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF), both of which are supporting actors and writers on the Hollywood picket lines.

The meeting with Roberts is expected to raise around $40,000, according to Charity Buzz, the site that’s auctioning off the lunch with the movie star. Bidding ends on Aug. 22, and has already reached $15,000.

“The lunch will support the Entertainment Community Fund and the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s work to provide financial assistance to film and television workers affected by work stoppages or other pauses in industry work,” the listing page says.

Actors’ union SAG-AFTRA, which comprises some 160,000 members, went on strike last month over pay, working conditions, and concerns related to the use of A.I. in the film industry.

It joined the Writers Guild of America—a union representing thousands of Hollywood writers, who haven’t worked since early May—marking the industry’s biggest shutdown in more than six decades.

With many unionized entertainment workers struggling financially as picketing drags on, organizations like the SAG-AFTRA Foundation and MPTF have been stepping in to provide emergency assistance for those in the industry.

In a statement emailed to Fortune over the weekend, Cyd Wilson, executive director of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, said the organization was “so happy [Roberts] is supporting everybody.”

Since the strikes began, Roberts has also donated $1 million to the foundation’s Emergency Financial Assistance Program, its spokesperson told Fortune on Monday.

Stars pulling together for striking workers

She isn’t the only A-lister to contribute a huge sum to fundraising efforts, however.

Earlier this month, five-time Emmy winner and Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane donated $1 million to the Entertainment Community Fund, one of the organizations Roberts’s auction is supporting.

Meanwhile, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made a “historic” seven-figure donation to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation last month after the organization appealed to its “high-profile talent” members for financial help.

George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Ryan Reynolds are also among the A-listers who have donated more than $1 million to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s emergency hardship fund.

The organization’s president, Courtney B. Vance—an Emmy Award–winning actor himself—announced earlier this month that the SAG-AFTRA Foundation had raised more than $15 million in just three weeks for its financial assistance program.

“I remember my days as a waiter, cleaner, typist, even my time on the unemployment line,” Meryl Streep said in a statement alongside the announcement.

“In this strike action, I am lucky to be able to support those who will struggle in a long action to sustain against Goliath. We will stand strong together against these powerful corporations who are bent on taking the humanity, the human dignity, even the human out of our profession.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include details on Julia Roberts’s donation to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.

At the Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit, Fortune 500 leaders will convene to explore the defining questions shaping the workforce of the future—delivering bold ideas, powerful connections, and actionable insights for building resilient organizations for the decade ahead. Join Fortune May 19–20 in Atlanta. Register now.
About the Author
By Chloe Taylor
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Success

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Success

Wealthy New Yorker on phone
SuccessBillionaires
New York is home to 154 billionaires. Together they’re worth $975.7 billion—and some of them are even making $2 million an hour
By Emma BurleighMarch 26, 2026
3 hours ago
Harvey CEO Winston Weinberg
SuccessCareers
30-year-old CEO of $11 billion Harvey earned the backing of OpenAI and Sam Altman. He says you have to ‘re-earn’ your role every 6 months
By Preston ForeMarch 26, 2026
3 hours ago
SuccessHiring
Duolingo CEO’s taxi driver test decides who gets hired—before the interview even starts
By Sydney LakeMarch 26, 2026
3 hours ago
posner
PoliticsElections
Trump said low-income housing would destroy the suburbs, but ‘soccer moms’ are still abandoning him in droves
By Steve Peoples and The Associated PressMarch 26, 2026
7 hours ago
Successthe future of work
The scientist who helped create AI says it’s only ‘a matter of time’ before every single job is wiped out—even safer trade jobs like plumbing
By Orianna Rosa RoyleMarch 26, 2026
7 hours ago
jay-z
Arts & EntertainmentBillionaires
From ‘Hard Knock Life’ to $2.8 billion, Jay-Z calls billionaire hate ‘a cop-out’ even as 1 in 5 Americans say it’s ‘morally wrong’ to be that rich
By Jake AngeloMarch 26, 2026
9 hours ago

Most Popular

Success
Palantir’s billionaire CEO says only two kinds of people will succeed in the AI era: trade workers — ‘or you’re neurodivergent’
By Fortune EditorsMarch 24, 2026
2 days ago
C-Suite
'I didn’t want anybody shooting me': Five Guys CEO gave away $1.5 million bonus to employees over botched BOGO burger birthday celebration
By Fortune EditorsMarch 25, 2026
23 hours ago
Magazine
The youngest-ever female CEO of a Fortune 500 company is fighting Trump's cuts to keep Medicaid strong
By Fortune EditorsMarch 24, 2026
2 days ago
Commentary
The Treasury just declared the U.S. insolvent. The media missed it
By Fortune EditorsMarch 23, 2026
3 days ago
Success
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon says remote work breeds ‘rope-a-dope politics’ and stunts young workers’ growth
By Fortune EditorsMarch 25, 2026
1 day ago
Environment
Vail Resorts' CEO says it's time to think beyond the $1,000 ski pass that helped build the empire
By Fortune EditorsMarch 26, 2026
11 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.