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Florence Pugh’s press tour for Netflix’s “East of Eden” brought her to “The View,” where co-host Sara Haines brought up the Oscar nominee’s recent social media posts speaking out on the sexual assault case at Cornell
University.
“Even in modern times, women have to bear the consequences of sexual violence, like the allegations currently playing out with the so-called Cornell 7,” Haines said. “The case is still pending, and some of the accused have denied any wrongdoing, but I saw what you wrote about this. This was really important for you. Can you explain why you felt the need to speak up?”
“Rape is something that lives. The fear of it lives in our bodies, and when stories like this come out and it’s really not picked up in the way that you hope it’s picked up, it makes me feel scared, it makes me feel anxious, it made me feel so much rage,” Pugh answered. “I’m lucky enough to do what I do and I have a platform and I wanted to talk about it.”
Pugh is one of the most prominent celebrities condemning the Cornell 7, the name given online to the seven male students accused of drugging and gang raping their female classmate at Cornell University in October 2024. The woman is now suing her alleged assaulters as well as their fraternity, Cornell University, her former sorority and more. According to the woman’s attorney, Cornell’s original investigation into the alleged crime resulted in only two of the accused men being expelled. The other students received lesser sanctions, such as temporary suspensions, workshops or essay-writing assignments.
“East of Eden” star Pugh, who will next be seen on the big screen in “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Dune: Part Three,”originally posted about the Cornell University sexual assault case in a Instagram post that the social media platform covered with a content warning that read: “This post contains content that some people may find upsetting.” Pugh put up a second post calling out Instagram for “blocking” her statement. As of the publication of this story, Instagram is only blocking Pugh’s second post with a content warning. The actor’s first post is available to see on the platform (see photo below).
“I’m able to come here and talk about it in real life, even though, sadly, Instagram censored me when I said it, which is also just another shock that women are censored, even when they go through these things, they can’t talk about it,” Pugh said about Instagram. “I feel very lucky and honored that we get to talk about this today. Thank you for bringing it up. It’s an ongoing conversation and it will always be an ongoing conversation until we’re harder on those that do that to women.”
In her original post on Instagram, Pugh described the alleged sexual assault incident as an “horrific act,” adding that she knew “this has happened before, and I hate the idea of it happening again.” She also urged men to speak out and to be “leading conversations about how we change the allowance and complicity of this behavior as much as we are. Be angry for us. Please.”
“This is really the moment where we need our men to be as horrified and as sickened as us,” the actor added.
Pugh added her in second post: “Instagram decided to block my post from getting in front of the right people. Tut tut tut. Oh dear. That doesn’t look great does it? Here’s another go at it in case you were one of those people that can no longer see my post.”
After Pugh’s post, several other celebrities such as Mariska Hargitay, Josh Gad, Hudson Williams and more used social media to also condemn the Cornell 7. “Arrest them,” wrote “Heated Rivalry” star Williams on his Instagram story while sharing a photo of the seven accused men. “Fuck them and fuck Cornell, too!”
“We refuse for this victim to be reduced to just another story. Cornell has failed to protect its students,” Hargitay posted on her Instagram in a shared statement with the Joyful Heart Foundation, the organization she founded to support victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse.
