Findings
| When | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-2022 | The Weeknd has made contributions to humanitarian food relief. In 2021 he donated $1 million to the UN World Food Programme's emergency response in Ethiopia, was appointed a WFP Goodwill Ambassador, and had donated more than $3 million to various causes during the preceding year. In 2022 he and WFP established the XO Humanitarian Fund, initially with a $500,000 personal donation and $1 from every North American stadium-tour ticket. By November 2022, the fund had raised $5 million. | Source |
| 2023-2024 | The XO Humanitarian Fund also directed $2.5 million to WFP's Gaza response in December 2023, equivalent to four million emergency meals. In April 2024, The Weeknd directed another $2 million, enough for more than 18 million loaves of bread according to WFP. | Source |
| 2020 | The Weeknd donated $500,000 to MusiCares and $500,000 to the Scarborough Health Network, and donated another $500,000 to COVID-related relief. | Source |
| 2021 | The Weeknd publicly connected the Tigray humanitarian crisis to his own Ethiopian heritage, donated $1 million through WFP, and encouraged his enormous audience to contribute. WFP subsequently made him a Goodwill Ambassador. | Source |
| The Weeknd has been criticized for lyrics portraying women in degrading or objectifying ways. The criticism is not confined to one song: reviews of "Kiss Land" and "After Hours" identified recurring misogynistic elements in his writing. In particular, "Lost in the Fire" was criticized for lyrics depicting a woman saying she may be attracted to women as merely a phase and then framing sex with a man as making her "straight," although this interpretation is disputed. | Source |
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