The GoFundMe campaign launched to “provide stability” to actor and Bay Area native Eric Dane’s two teenage daughters following the actor’s death last week from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis initially had a fundraising goal of $250,000.
But after donations on behalf of the children of the “Grey’s Anatomy” star jumped to $300,000 over the weekend, the organizers set a new target of $500,000, which has nearly been reached as of Tuesday morning, Feb. 24. But this new target also brought additional backlash from some online who say they are concerned about what could be a new trend in “celebrity capitalism.”
It involves friends or relatives of seemingly rich celebrities going online to raise a great deal of money for themselves or other survivors following a tragedy. This trend came into focus following the Feb. 11 death of another popular TV star, James Van Der Beek. The influencer wife of the “Dawson’s Creek” star and their six children will benefit from a GoFundMe campaign that has raised $2.7 million since it was launched by family friends, just hours after his death at age 48 of colon cancer. The money that poured into the Van Der Beek family’s GoFundMe included a $25,000 donation from director Steven Spielberg.
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 03: Chrysalis Butterfly Ball Co-chair Rebecca Gayheart-Dane (L) and Actor Eric Dane with Georgia Dane and Billie Beatrice Dane at the 16th Annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball on June 3, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Chrysalis Butterfly Ball)
The Dane family’s GoFundMe benefits the “Euphoria” star’s daughters, Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, whom he shared with actor Rebecca Gayheart. As of Tuesday, it has amassed five-figure donations from Hailey Bieber, TV director Brad Falchuk (husband of Gwyneth Paltrow) and “Euphoria” showrunner Sam Levinson, BuzzFeed News reported. Johnny Depp’s representatives also let it be known that the “Pirates of the Caribbean star welcomed Dane to stay at one of his Los Angeles homes free of charge during his final months, E! News reported.
“Not to sound insensitive but rich celebrities’ families launching GoFundMe (campaigns) and using their popularity to get overwhelming donations when the economy is (expletive) and people are struggling to afford every day essentials doesn’t feel right,” said one person on the Fauxmoi sub-Reddit in response to news about the GoFundMe for Dane.
“Sad he’s gone but he was a part of some of the biggest shows in TV history,” the person continued. “I’m sure his coworkers/ production houses can donate to his family instead of sharing with the public.”
An X user agreed: “Eric Dane’s death is awful & I was really sad to see it. His net worth was widely estimated at several million dollars. I don’t understand why his family needs a GoFundMe.”
Over on another Reddit thread, someone said: “Their deaths are tragic. But asking regular working people to financially support the families of television actors from major, long-running network shows feels disconnected from reality.”
“These actors were part of highly profitable productions,” this person continued. “They had industry-level salaries, union protections, and access to financial advisors. They likely earned more during their careers than many of the people being asked to donate will earn in a lifetime. Residuals and royalties exist for a reason. Estate planning exists for a reason. Meanwhile, ordinary families are crowdfunding chemotherapy, surgeries, rent, and basic survival. People with full-time jobs cannot afford healthcare, childcare, or housing.”
But in response to such comments, which reveal grievances about class and celebrity privilege, others say that strangers really have no idea about another person’s net worth. These strangers also would not know what, if any, additional health care costs and other bills the Dane and Van Der Beek families may be left to pay, even if both actors had savings and generally good health care coverage through SAG-AFTRA. Both men died of debilitating illnesses that made it difficult or impossible for them to keep working in the last months of their lives. Defenders of these campaigns also say that the nature of their illnesses meant they could have incurred hefty bills for treatments or long-term care that wasn’t covered by insurance.
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA – DECEMBER 02: Kimberly Brook (L), James Van Der Beek (R), and family at the 7th Annual Santa’s Secret Workshop benefiting LA Family Housing at Andaz on December 2, 2017 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Santa’s Secret Workshop 2017)
Gayheart revealed in a December essay for The Cut that Dane, with whom she stayed on good terms though they separated in 2017, relied on “24/7” nursing care.
Dane disclosed in April 2025 that he had been diagnosed with ALS, a progressive disease that attacks nerve cells controlling muscles throughout the body. ALS gradually destroys the those cells and a person’s ability to walk, talk, speak and breathe. Most patients die within three to five years of a diagnosis; Dane’s illness progressed “far more quickly than anyone could have imagined,” the description for his daughters’ GoFundMe said.
Amid the debate about the worthiness of celebrity GoFundMe campaigns, Dane’s longtime friend Mike McGuiness took to Instagram to share more context about his financial situation. McGuiness made the comment while reflecting on a bucket-list trip they took some time before Eric’s death, BuzzFeed News reported. In the caption, McGuiness said: “Covid and ALS did a number on his work life, and he sadly couldn’t leave his family with the resources he hoped.” Another source close to the Dane family told TMZ that the actor faced “substantial medical bills” during his battle with ALS.
This image released by Netflix shows actor Eric Dane, left, and Brad Falchuk in an episode of, “Famous Last Words.” (Netflix via AP) Netflix via AP
Dane became famous playing heartthrob Dr. Mark Sloane, aka McSteamy, on the ABC medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy.” But McGuiness and others might say that his final, real-life role was as a person with ALS.
“It’s about as hopeless an affliction one could get,” McGuiness said. “I truly don’t know if I could muster grace or dignity in that spot. Eric did. Candidly, I didn’t know he had it in him.”
As an ALS advocate, Dane was willing to share information about losing the ability to move or his thoughts about dying. As the GoFundMe description said: “Following his diagnosis, Eric became a passionate spokesperson for the ALS community, using his voice and platform to advocate for fellow patients and to push for greater awareness. Even as his own health declined, he remained deeply committed to helping others facing the same devastating disease.”
Some of those donating to his family’s GoFundMe include people who had lost someone to ALS. “Prayers for Eric’s family and friends,” said one person who donated $50. “I am so sorry! My brother in law passed in 2008 from ALS. We need a cure!”
The Van Der Beek family’s GoFundMe campaign became controversial due to the millions raised amid questions about the true nature of James and Kimberly Van Der Beek’s financial situation. While Kimberly Van Der Beek claimed on the GoFundMe that she and her children were “out of funds” and struggling to stay in their home, reports surfaced showing that friends helped James Van Der Beek put a downpayment on their home a month before he died.
The home is a sprawling, 36-acre ranch outside Austin Texas, valued at $4.8 million. Before moving to Texas in 2020, the Van Der Beeks had been living in a two-story, Spanish-villa-style home in Beverly Hills, which underwent a design makeover featured in a 2020 issue Architectural Digest. TMZ also reported that the couple had to pay off a $269,000 bill to the IRS, for income taxes they didn’t pay in 2017 and 2018.
But in defense of celebrity GoFundMe campaigns, others online say that “no one is forcing anyone to donate.” Slate writer Rachel Chapman also wrote that most people don’t contemplate how devastating diseases like cancer can leave even seemingly well-off people with an unexpected toll “of seemingly endless medical bills.” In her essay, Chapman revealed that her husband has acute leukemia and they are facing five-figure health care bills, not counting lost income and caregiver costs.
But as Chapman pondered whether she should launch a GoFundMe, she also asked whether it helps to be a famous person to raise the necessary amount of money. “Do you need to be a celebrity to ‘win the financial cost of cancer?” she asked.
Then again, Chapman revealed that she donated a small contribution to the Van Der Beek GoFundMe because it “felt good” and said that these celebrity fundraisers reveal “the Ponzi scheme of American health insurance” that mostly burdens lower- and middle-income families. “Maybe, instead of being upset with the help given to a celebrity family, we should demand more help for all of us,” she said.