Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

The Internet Steps Up Big For Fyre Fest Caterer Who Paid Staff Using $50,000 Of Her Own Savings

The most sympathetic figures in the new, competing Fyre Festival documentaries from Hulu and Netflix are the teams of Bahamian workers who worked tirelessly to try and make the event a success, only to be left high and dry with no pay by the festival's organizers. One such woman was Maryann Rolle, the owner of Exuma Point Resort, who was hired to cater the event.


In an emotional interview in the Netflix documentary, Rolle revealed she was never paid for any of her labor.

It turns out Rolle had to wipe out her savings, spending around $50k of her own money just so she could pay her staff, who were working around the clock.



Rolle wrote online:

"It has been an unforgettable experience catering to the organizers of Fyre Festival. Back in April 2017 I pushed myself to the limit catering no less than a 1000 meals per day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all prepared and delivered by Exuma Point to Coco Plum Beach and Roker's Point where the main events were scheduled to take place. Organizers would also visit my Exuma Point location to enjoy the prepared meals.
Fyre Fest organizers were also checked into all the rooms at Exuma Point Resort.
As I make this plea it's hard to believe and embarrassing to admit that I was not paid…I was left in a big hole! My life was changed forever, and my credit was ruined by Fyre Fest.
My only resource today is to appeal for help.
There is an old saying that goes "bad publicity is better than no publicity" and I pray that whoever reads this plea is able to assist.
Thank you,
Elvis and Maryann Rolle
Exuma Point Resort
Great
Exuma, Bahamas"

To help recoup some of the expenses from the disastrous weekend, Rolle started a GoFundMe. Gabrielle Bluestone, a producer of the Netflix documentary, quickly confirmed the GoFundMe was legitimate and spread the word to fans everywhere!


Fans rallied behind Rolle!

Before long, the GoFundMe had met Rolle's goal of $123k and then some!


Some Twitter users wondered if there were similar funds set up for the Fyre Festivals day laborers who were never paid:


Many of the documentary's central figures seem to be working on that very issue:



Two of the largest donors to Rolle's campaign were F*** Jerry and one of its owners, Elliot Tebele. The ad agency was responsible for both advertising the festival and for producing the documentary about its subsequent failure.

It seems the F*** Jerry team may be looking to make amends and stay ahead of the narrative, started by the Hulu documentary, that they were complicit in the manipulation of Fyre Festival attendees and workers.

Regardless, people are happy to see Rolle will get the money she was owed!



Meanwhile, the festival's organizers continues to face a massive lawsuit, while Billy McFarland, the festival's head honcho, is serving jail time for financial fraud.

What goes around comes around!

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Screenshot of Cindy Hyde-Smith; a cow in a pasture
WLOX News Now; Silas Stein/Picture Alliance via Getty Images

MAGA Senator Faces Backlash For Dodging Question About High Beef Prices—And People Are Having A Cow

Mississippi Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith is facing backlash after dodging a question about high beef prices amid the nationwide affordability crisis and telling WLOX news viewers that they have "so many proteins to choose from."

Last month, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins claimed that food prices were coming down, even as the Consumer Price Index shows grocery costs rose 0.7% in December. Beef, which Rollins elevated near the top of the food pyramid in the dietary guidelines she recently unveiled, increased 1% over the month and was up 16.4% compared with a year earlier.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jamie Lee Curtis (left) pens a tribute to Robert Carradine (right) about their decades-long careers in Hollywood.
JC Olivera/Variety via Getty Images; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic via Getty Images

Jamie Lee Curtis Pens Poignant Tribute To 'First Love' Robert Carradine After His Tragic Death

Jamie Lee Curtis is remembering her “first love.”

The Oscar winner took to Instagram on Tuesday to mourn Robert Carradine, the beloved character actor best known for portraying Lewis Skolnick in Revenge of the Nerds and Sam McGuire in Lizzie McGuire. He was 71.

Keep ReadingShow less
Katherine Short and Martin Short
Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Fans Are Being Reminded Of How Much Tragedy Martin Short Has Experienced After The Death Of His Daughter

There's a saying that the funniest people among us are typically the ones who have suffered the greatest losses or who struggle the most with their mental health, and Martin Short is unfortunately no exception.

While we've all experienced losses, Martin Short has suffered too much loss for one person, starting from a young age.

Keep ReadingShow less
Flavor Flav Extends Vegas Party To All U.S. Female Olympic Medal Winners After Trump Diss—And We Love To See It
Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images

Flavor Flav Extends Vegas Party To All U.S. Female Olympic Medal Winners After Trump Diss—And We Love To See It

Rap icon and TV personality Flavor Flav is really outdoing himself at the game of being a stand-up guy, especially where female Olympians are concerned!

Flav was one of the first celebrities to speak out after Donald Trump's disgusting sexist comments about the U.S. women's hockey team while congratulation the men's team on their gold medal.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Robert De Niro
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images; Monica Schipper/Getty Images

Trump Calls For Robert De Niro To Be Deported After His Blistering 'State Of The Swamp' Speech

President Donald Trump lashed out at actor Robert De Niro, threatening him with deportation after the legendary actor joined fellow celebrities and Democratic politicians for an alternative "State of the Swamp" event during Trump's rambling State of the Union address.

The event was put together by the anti-Trump organization Defiance.org alongside the artist-activist collective Portland Frog Brigade and the advocacy media network Courier. Organizers described it as a response to what they describe as "abuses of power" by Trump, as well as by figures who have previously served in his orbit.

Keep ReadingShow less