Ashton Kutcher Shocks Ellen DeGeneres with $4M Donation in XRP to Her Wildlife Fund

Ashton Kutcherhas made a big surprise for Ellen DeGeneres. He donated $4 million in XRP to the Wildlife Fund founded by Ellen.

Julia Sakovich By Julia Sakovich Updated 3 mins read

American actor and venture capitalist Ashton Kutcher in cooperation with San Francisco-based cryptocurrency firm Ripple made a real splash at a daytime talk show hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. He decided to make a late birthday present or her. He donated $4 million to the Ellen DeGeneres Wildlife Fund. The payment was made in XRP.

Kutcher, who is also a co-founder of VC firm Sound Ventures, together with his friend and business partner Guy Oseary made such a great donation on the air on Ripple’s behalf during the episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show on May 23. He also noted that this plan was developed together with Ripple co-founders during a recent investment meeting.

“So, we were meeting with these folks and [Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen and CEO Brad Garlinghouse] were talking to us about the ethics of this company and this platform and how they actually really care about being an ethical company and giving a portion of this platform away to people that are doing good in the world,” explained Kutcher.

He also added: “We [told Ripple], there’s this amazing human being and all they ever do is think about other people they can give to. Whether it’s in New Orleans, whether it’s in Montecito, whether it’s the people that come here, the people out there, you’re always thinking about everyone else and we wanted to show you that people are thinking about you.”

Kutcher made this donation using an XRP payment app, this way he also wanted to show the cryptocurrency’s ability to make near-instant cross-border transactions much easier and faster than they are now. Currently to make a payment it is enough just to push a button.

Let us also clarify some details about Ripple. As you probably know Ripple and XRP are different companies. And Ripple holds 60% of XRP tokens. According to the information provided to CoinMarketCap the current market capitalization of Ripple (XRP) is close to $24 billion. It means that $4 million donation made by Kutcher is approximately 0.03% of Ripple’s holdings.

Ellen was really surprised to get such a birthday present and stayed practically speechless for a while. Though it could be supposed that such a great move would lead to the growth of XRP price, it is not so.

Due to the ongoing crypto market decline, we can observe decreasing prices. As it is informed by CoinMarketCap, XRP is traded at $0.606494. It means that it has lost 3.20% during the past twenty-four hours.

Not so long ago, it has been announced that Ripple donated tens of millions of dollars in XRP to non-profit organizations. For example, a sum of $29 million in XRP was allocated for funding 35,000 classroom projects on educational crowdfunding website DonorsChoose. And it was the largest donation that the organization had received in its history.

 

Altcoin News, Cryptocurrency News, News, XRP News
Julia Sakovich
Senior Editor Julia Sakovich

I’m a content writer and editor with extensive experience creating high-quality content across a range of industries. Currently, I serve as the Editor-in-Chief at Coinspeaker, where I lead content strategy, oversee editorial workflows, and ensure that every piece meets the highest standards. In this role, I collaborate closely with writers, researchers, and industry experts to deliver content that not only informs and educates but also sparks meaningful discussion around innovation.

Much of my work focuses on blockchain, cryptocurrencies, artificial intelligence, and software development, where I bring together editorial expertise, subject knowledge, and leadership experience to shape meaningful conversations about technology and its real-world impact. I’m particularly passionate about exploring how emerging technologies intersect with business, society, and everyday life. Whether I’m writing about decentralized finance, AI applications, or the latest in software development, my goal is always to make complex subjects accessible, relevant, and valuable to readers.

My academic background has played an important role in shaping my approach to content. I studied Intercultural Communications, PR, and Translation at Minsk State Linguistic University, and later pursued a Master’s degree in Economics and Management at the Belarusian State Economic University. The combination of linguistic, communication, and business training has given me the ability to translate complex technical and economic concepts into clear, engaging narratives for diverse audiences.

Over the years, my articles have been featured on a variety of platforms. In addition to contributing to company blogs—primarily for software development agencies—my work has appeared in well-regarded outlets such as SwissCognitive, HackerNoon, Tech Company News, and SmallBizClub, among others. 

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