Conan O’Brien to speak at Harvard commencement amid university's ongoing battle with Trump

Host Conan O'Brien speaks during the Oscars in Los Angeles on March 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Comedian and television host Conan O’Brien will entertain Harvard University graduates at their commencement Thursday, at a time when the Ivy League school is in the crosshairs of the Trump administration.

The administration sued Harvard in March, accusing its leadership of failing to address antisemitism on campus. The move came months after a judge sided with Harvard in another lawsuit and ordered the administration to reverse billions of dollars in funding cuts.

The administration had slashed more than US$2.6 billion in Harvard’s research funding, ended federal contracts and attempted to block the college from hosting international students. Harvard had argued it was being illegally penalized for refusing to adopt the Trump administration’s views.

Harvard commencements in recent years have become much more political, partly because of the ongoing battles with the federal government.

Last year, students cheered speakers who emphasized maintaining a diverse and international student body and standing up for truth in the face of attacks by the Trump administration. A year before that, graduates walked out of the commencement chanting “Free, free Palestine” after weeks of protests on campus over the war in Gaza. Others chanted “Let them walk, let them walk,” after the school announced some students who were part of a protest encampment would not get their diplomas alongside other graduates.

This year, striking graduate students at Harvard announced that they would be picketing commencement over a lack of progress in their contract negotiations with the university. The over 4,000 graduate student workers want better pay, an independent process for dealing with harassment and discrimination complaints and contractual protection for noncitizen and disabled workers, among other issues.

Michael Casey, The Associated Press