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2018 Jeff Dye GoFundMe post mocking people “begging” for funds surfaces online amid comedian’s fundraiser controversy

Resurfaced 2018 post of Jeff Dye mocking GoFundMe users sparks backlash after the comedian launched and later deleted his own fundraiser amid controversy over his move from California to Texas.
  • Jeff Dye attends the 2018 NBCUniversal Winter Press Tour at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena on January 9, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)
    Jeff Dye attends the 2018 NBCUniversal Winter Press Tour at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena on January 9, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

    Comedian Jeff Dye came under renewed scrutiny online this week as past social media posts of his resurfaced days after the actor faced backlash for starting a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for a move to Texas.

    The controversy started just weeks after Dye publicly complained about California’s political leadership and its response to wildfire, taking to Instagram to say he was packing up and moving out of Los Angeles, an announcement that he initially asked his fans to help him finance before he deleted it.

    Photos on X show Dye, in 2018, mocking those who were using GoFundMe to ask for financial assistance from others. He reportedly criticized online fundraising as “begging” in the posts, and encouraged readers to “get a job instead of crowdfunding your problems.”

    These old comments have led to cries of hypocrisy, as Dye most recently took to the very same platform when pleading financial hardship over his decision to leave California. The backlash grew, and within days, Dye took down the fund-raiser, refunded donors and declined further comment on the criticism.

    The comedian has also been in the media recently courtesy of unrelated controversies, including interviews he gave earlier this week in which he accused former co-stars like Sarah Hyland of behaving unprofessionally on set, as well as past public feuds with ex-girlfriend Kristin Cavallari.


    A look into Jeff Dye's career and legacy as he moves out of Hollywood

    Jeff Dye first gained national exposure as a contestant on season six of Last Comic Standing (2008) where he finished third and then produced the documentary I Am Comic in 2010.

    He received his own half-hour special during Comedy Central Presents 2010, a sign that he was being recognized as a rising comic voice. Throughout the years, Dye appeared as a guest on a number of hit TV shows including MTV’s Girl Code and ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

    He also hosted two MTV shows, Money From Strangers and Numbnuts. Dye increased his TV exposure in 2016 as part of the cast of the comedy-reality series Better Late Than Never on NBC. The show ran for two seasons before ending in 2018.

    Dye announced he was moving out of California during a November 2 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, saying he wants to buy a house in Texas because he was apprehensive about where California is headed under Governor Gavin Newsom.

    The 42-year-old comedian called the state’s policies “terrifying,” and cited the January 2025 Los Angeles fires, which destroyed more than 16,000 buildings and led to at least 29 fatalities.

    Dye faulted how the disaster had been managed, saying that the response had been “not competent”, and voicing what many of his fellow local residents have felt about the slow paced recovery efforts and the bureaucratic obstacles.

    As the online debate rages on, the re-emerged posts have provided a new layer to Dye’s public image at a time when he is trying to distance himself from Hollywood and reintroduce himself in Texas.

    TOPICS: Jeff Dye, Human Interest