Jennifer Lopez’s new Quibi show, “Thanks a Million,” may be the platform’s biggest hit so far — but the celebrities aren’t actually giving out their own cash to deserving people.
In each episode, starting with Lopez, a famous person chooses an influential person from their early lives and awards them $100,000 — with the understanding that the chosen person will then pass on $50,000 to someone similar in their own lives. It then becomes a chain of goodwill and kindness.
Seven episodes are currently available to stream following Quibi’s launch this week. After J.Lo’s inaugural episode, the others feature Kevin Hart, Nick Jonas, Kristen Bell, Aaron Rodgers, Yara Shahidi and Tracy Morgan.
However, the big names aren’t spending their own money, we’re reliably informed. Instead, Quibi — founded by Jeffrey Katzenberg — and the “Thanks a Million” production team are ponying up the cash.
In their episodes, Lopez rewards a fan who struggles to raise a daughter with cerebral palsy, and Hart rewards the hospital’s medical staff that literally saved his life after a car crash in California last year. Rodgers gifts his former life coach, and Shahidi donates to the charitable foundation established by the parents of her late friend, actor Cameron Boyce.
The series was created and produced by B17 Entertainment, led by Rhett Bachner and Brien Meagher.
A tweet by Lopez that included the show’s trailer generated 77,849 responses and was the most viral tweet among all Quibi programs.
“It appears the success of Quibi in its early stages may depend on how well they’re able to target the fans of these artists in their outreach efforts,” ListenFirst chief marketing officer Tracy David told Variety. “Additionally, given the current state of the world, that ‘Thanks a Million’ is the Quibi show creating the most interest on social media illustrates how valued content about doing good deeds is right now.”