A Concert for Hurricane Relief was an hour-long, celebrity-driven benefit concert broadcast live on September 2, 2005. Sponsored by the NBC Universal Television Group, its purpose was to raise money, relief, and awareness in response to the loss of life and human suffering that resulted from Hurricane Katrina in five southeastern states in the United States in 2005. Hosted by Matt Lauer, it was simulcast from the New York studios of NBC located in 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City, on NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, and i: Independent Television. Controversy was sparked during Kanye West's segment of the show after he said "George Bush doesn't care about black people."
Viewers were encouraged to donate to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund by calling the number 1-800-HELP-NOW or through the Red Cross's website.[1] The benefit generated $50 million and was watched on television by approximately 8.5 million viewers.