Hurricane relief telethon a ratings smash as funds raised blow past $44 million

The all-star Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief telethon was a big ratings winner on Tuesday (12Sep17) with over 15.7 million viewers tuning in and helping to raise more than $44 million .

The star-studded event, which aired simultaneously on America's major TV networks, brought out the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Beyonce, Tom Hanks, Justin Bieber, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, Cher, and Justin Timberlake, who called on fans to donate to help those suffering in the wake of hurricanes Harvey and Irma, which devastated parts of Texas, Louisiana, the Caribbean, and Florida in recent weeks.

Clooney, Oprah, Billy Crystal, Kerry Washington, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, DJ Khaled, and Jamie Foxx helped to man the phones as donations tumbled in, with $14.5 million raised by the end of the hour-long show, which also featured appearances by Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Dwayne Johnson, and Drake.

The money has since continued to roll in, and by Wednesday morning (13Sep17), it had passed the $44 million mark.