W. Kamau Bell and Celebrity Friends Surprise Public School Students & Teachers
After winning $1 million for DonorsChoose on ABC’s Celebrity Jeopardy!, W. Kamau Bell is teaming up with Melissa McCarthy, Ben Falcone, Padma Lakshmi, Hasan Minhaj, and Megan Rapinoe to support U.S. public school classrooms
New York, New York, Oct. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, W. Kamau Bell, the Emmy- and Peabody-winning producer, TV host (CNN's United Shades of America), New York Times bestselling author, comedian, filmmaker and board member of education nonprofit DonorsChoose, announced that he’s teaming up with his friends to surprise public school students and teachers to kick off the 2025-26 school year.
In the spring, Bell won $1 million on the third season of ABC’s Celebrity Jeopardy! on behalf of DonorsChoose. On April 24 at Castlemont High School in his hometown of Oakland, California, Bell announced that he would dedicate his winnings towards public schools nationwide. This week, Bell is joining forces with friends Melissa McCarthy, Ben Falcone, Padma Lakshmi, Hasan Minhaj, and Megan Rapinoe to surprise four public schools with $25,000 each for essential school supplies via DonorsChoose.
The cohort aims to shine a spotlight on America’s educators and inspire the public to support students and classrooms in their community. If 10,000 individuals donate to teacher-requested projects on DonorsChoose this week, Bell and his friends will launch a special surprise on Friday, October 17 for all public school teachers across the country utilizing the remainder of his Celebrity Jeopardy! winnings.
Bell’s collaboration with McCarthy, Falcone, Lakshmi, Minhaj, and Rapinoe underscores his belief in the power of community and his long-standing commitment to education equity. The public can follow along with the surprises on social media (@DonorsChoose) or find a classroom to support at www.donorschoose.org/studentsurprise.
"Being a part of DonorsChoose has been one of the honors of my life and career,” said Bell. “Now more than ever, it is important that we, as a nation, support our nation's students. I'm so privileged to be able to do a small part to help, and I'm also privileged to have friends who are much, much more famous than I am. Friends who all said, 'Yes!' as soon as I asked.”
“Students and teachers are entering this school year with renewed hopes and new challenges,” said Alix Guerrier, CEO of DonorsChoose. “Countless students will have access to the learning resources they need because of W. Kamau Bell’s generosity through his Celebrity Jeopardy! winnings and his collaboration with Melissa McCarthy, Ben Falcone, Padma Lakshmi, Hasan Minhaj, and Megan Rapinoe. Their commitment to supporting public education underscores the need to uplift students and the bright futures they’re pursuing in the classroom.”
About W. Kamau Bell
W. Kamau Bell is an Emmy & Peabody Award-winning TV host, filmmaker, comedian, husband, and dad. He is on the road for his new comedy tour, “Who’s With Me?” Tickets are available at www.wkamaubell.com. Kamau is the reigning champion of Celebrity Jeopardy! where he played for DonorsChoose. He has also written a chapter in the new Michael Lewis book, Who Is Government? - The Untold Story of Public Service which is a New York Times bestseller. Kamau is also the host of the ACLU’s official podcast At Liberty.
For seven seasons, he was the host and executive producer of the five-time Emmy Award-winning CNN Original Series United Shades of America, available to stream on MAX. In 2023, he won an Emmy for his HBO documentary 1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed. He also won a Peabody Award for his 2022 Showtime docu-series We Need to Talk About Cosby. He is the co-author of the New York Times bestselling book Do the Work!: An Antiracist Activity Book and the author of The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6' 4", African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama’s Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian. His comedy special, Private School Negro, is available on Netflix. Kamau is on the board of directors for DonorsChoose, a nonprofit that helps teachers raise money for class projects, and Live Free, a nonprofit dedicated to ending gun violence, mass incarceration, and mass criminalization. Kamau is also the ACLU’s Artist Ambassador for Racial Justice. In 2023, Kamau and his wife Melissa Hudson Bell co-founded Who Knows Best Productions, a media production company in Oakland, CA. He cares too much and sleeps too little.
About DonorsChoose
DonorsChoose is the leading way to give to public schools. Since 2000, 6.5 million people and partners have contributed $1.8 billion to support over 3 million teacher requests for classroom resources and experiences. As the most trusted crowdfunding platform for teachers, donors, and district administrators alike, DonorsChoose vets each request, ships the funded resources directly to the classroom, and provides thank yous and reporting to donors and school leaders. Charity Navigator and GuideStar have awarded DonorsChoose, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, their highest ratings for transparency and accountability. For more information, visit www.donorschoose.org.
Juan Brizuela DonorsChoose media@donorschoose.org Heather Brown 917-528-1209 Heather@popofcolorpr.com
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