Harry Styles sings about the cost of mental health care on his song "Are You Listening Yet?" — "God knows your life is on the brink, and your therapist's well-fed." Turns out he wasn't just writing about it. He was living it.
Four years ago, Elena Kilgore started Other People Fund with a straightforward idea: sell merchandise, give all the money to therapy. The tote bags and shirts she designed had messages that worked as both jokes and mission statements. One read: "I think we need to see other people. And by other people, I mean therapists."
Kilgore sent some merch to Harry Lambert, Styles' stylist, as a gift. But Styles did something unexpected — he insisted on paying for it. "To this day, Harry Styles is the only major celebrity who has ever learned about my nonprofit and then insisted on buying merch from it," Kilgore said.
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Start Your News DetoxThen Styles wore the tote bag in public. Photographed carrying it while with his then-girlfriend Olivia Wilde, the simple act of visibility sparked something that Kilgore hadn't fully anticipated. "Harry wore it out in public," she explained. "And it led to tens of thousands of people learning about the brand and supporting it — and hundreds of people getting free therapy."
The Numbers Behind the Moment
That single public appearance helped Other People Fund support its first 100 people through therapy. As of April 2025, the nonprofit has donated 1,100 free therapy sessions in total. When applicants are approved, the organization works directly with them and their therapy providers to cover the actual session costs.
What makes this story stick isn't just the celebrity angle — it's that Styles actually showed up. Kilgore has sent merchandise to plenty of famous people over the years. Most of them disappeared. "I've given my merch to so many celebrities, who have then ghosted me," she said. "You know who else is busy? Harry Styles. So, yeah, you can feel good about this one."
The ripple effect is still moving. Other People Fund now covers therapy sessions for people who apply for aid, turning a simple tote bag into proof that visibility — especially when paired with genuine commitment — can move money toward the people who need it most.
