All the stars who've spoken out on Cornell rape scandal: Florence Pugh and Cynthia Erivo are pro-Jane Doe... while Sunny Hostin says she backs the accused men

Hollywood has weighed in on the controversy that has engulfed Cornell University after a woman accused seven fraternity brothers of a horrific gang rape in a bombshell lawsuit.

The woman, identified only as Jane Doe, claimed she was coerced into taking drugs and sexually assaulted by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity at an off-campus house in 2024. 

One of the accused men allegedly posted to the fraternity's active-members Snapchat group saying that there was 'free p***y' upstairs, referring to Doe, according to the filing, which included an image of the purported chat.

At the time, prosecutors determined there was 'insufficient evidence' to bring criminal sexual assault charges, and said the accuser was 'voluntary, conscious, and consensual' throughout the night.

Her lawsuit sparked national outrage over how authorities handled the case, and they have since reopened it and appointed a special prosecutor to investigate Jane Doe's claims.

Here, the Daily Mail looks at all the celebrities who have commented on the so-called 'Cornell 7' case.

Florence Pugh

The East of Eden actress took to Instagram on September 27 to say she was 'feeling uneasy and sick and anxious' after the lawsuit was filed.

'After reading about the young woman who was gang raped at her college by her friend and school peers,' Florence Pugh said. 'I’m feeling uneasy and sick and anxious.' 

'I’m processing quietly and watching everything and everyone and every man. This is really the moment where we need our men to be as horrified and as sickened as us.

'You need to be leading conversations about how we change the allowance and complicity of this behaviour as much as we are. How can you expect us to trust that it’s "not all men" when in moments like this, many of you stay quiet?'

Pugh continued: 'They are as evil as those planning it. To know that a torture as violent as rape is about to happen "upstairs" and not do ANYTHING ABOUT IT, is sick, cowardly and cold.'

'All it takes is to write a quick "I’m so sorry I raped a girl while she was drugged with my friends, we thought it would be fine?" essay and you’re good to go! We are not hard enough on those that want to damage human lives.'

Pugh said that she saluted the people at the school for 'fighting for that girl' and 'exposing those boys' accused in the criminal attack, noting that 'they should not be allowed to walk freely like the rest of us who treasure and care for souls.'

'What about the life that those girls then have to endure, with the knowledge that his reputation is more precious than her truth? Or to feel that no one with the power to do something cares that you were abused. It’s further soul-destroying,' she wrote.

She added that the people who 'protect and lightly sentence men that rape and destroy, should be punished and watched closely.'

Pugh said that situations such as these continue to illustrate critical gender inequality issues in society, stating that 'there is no equality until we can say we feel safe.'

She wrapped up by saying, 'We are the life force of this earth; start f***ing protecting us. Be angry for us. Please.'

Sunny Hostin

The View co-host Sunny Hostin claimed the media is 'inaccurately' reporting on the Cornell 7, and argued that Jane Doe's initial statement contradicted the recent lawsuit.

Hostin said that the accuser 'voluntarily' consumed alcohol and ketamine and planned to meet one of the men named in the complaint, citing an initial statement given at the time of the assault.

The host argued that under New York law, consuming alcohol does not constitute an inability to consent to sexual activity.

'The pictures of these young men who have not been charged, not been adjudicated, are being plastered all over the internet,' Hostin said.

'I think people are reporting this story inaccurately. I think they’re reporting it unfairly. And while this is something that we have to take very seriously, there is no way, according to her statement in 2024, that any prosecutor would have brought forth a case.'

Hostin insisted that her past work as a prosecutor shows that she supports victims of sex crimes, but noted that the alleged victim's statements were inconsistent.

'I prosecuted sex crimes for 10 years. I believe women. I am not saying that we shouldn't believe her, but in 2024 she said one thing, and now in 2026 she's saying another thing,' Hostin concluded.

Cynthia Erivo

The Wicked star reportedly reached out to Hostin last week to criticize her on-air assessment of the alleged Cornell University sexual assault case.

Days after her comments on The View, Hostin claimed her 'good friend' and sorority sister Cynthia Erivo called her over the comments.

 'She called me and said, "Sis, I know you, and I know your heart, and I know your life's work has been about protecting women and children. But the clip that I saw doesn't reflect who you are,"' Hostin told The View Executive Producer Brian Teta.

She told Teta that Erivo went on to compliment her for an ability to 'cut the BS out' and be 'blunt' – a trait she said the two of them shared.

'And she said that I "need to, instead of leading with the law, I need to lead with empathy," so that people can receive the law - the message about the law,' Hostin explained.

Olivia Rodrigo 

The singer delivered scathing words to Cornell and offered support to Jane Doe in a post on her Instagram Stories.

'Shame on Cornell and on every institution who protects rapists and abusers over women,' Rodrigo posted on Saturday. 'I stand with Jane Doe. Her bravery reverberates across the country, and the crimes against her will not go unpunished.

'What she lived through matters, and so does the failure of those who could have intervened but chose not to. She deserves answers, consequences, and lasting change.'

Along with the statement, Rodrigo re-posted a call for schools to provide 'economic reparations' to survivors along with a screenshot of a Substack article reflecting on Carry That Weight, a 2014 visual arts piece conducted by Columbia University student Emma Sulkowicz who alleged to have been raped by a classmate. 

Josh Gad

The Disney and Broadway star posted on Instagram, slamming the men and Cornell for how they handled the case.

'Let me be loud and clear. When we start setting a precedent that our girls and women can be brutally raped, and the resulting disciplinary action is to hand out (checks notes) ESSAYS (like it's Bart Simpson being a lil' rascal), about why it was wrong to brutally violate an innocent girl, we have lost our f**king minds,' Josh Gad wrote.

'That's not a "mistake" that these "aw shucks gee whiz rapist fellas" learn from. That's a violent and sick criminal act that doesn't take a fucking Cornell degree to understand is evil. At this point, it doesn't seem to matter if a woman accuses a President, a Supreme Court justice, a private university student, or an athlete. There is NO SUCH THING as white-collar rape.

'And we are sending a profoundly disturbing message with our inability to hold anyone accountable that this is OK. F**k that. Enough.'

Christina Ricci

Addams Family icon Christina Ricci posted on Instagram Stories that the case inspired her to have a difficult conversation with her own son.

'Had the conversation with my 12-year-old son last night. He knows exactly what to do if he EVER gets sent anything like that on a group chat or anywhere else. He also knows that he's to use his size, gender and privilege in this world to protect others,' she wrote. 

'Talk to your boys. Make sure they know exactly what to do. In the time of bloated, orange...villains inspire them to be heroes.'

Mariska Hargitay

The Law and Order SVU star shared a joint post on Instagram with her Joyful Heart Foundation, which supports survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse.

Mariska Hargitay captioned her post: 'A Cornell student says she was never told the outcome of her own Title IX case, and the men she accused are back on campus. The Cornell Daily Sun is demanding answers and accountability, and so are we.

'Survivors deserve to be believed and kept informed. Silence protects no one. To her: we support you.'

The post also contained an image that shared a quote from The Cornell Daily Sun's Editorial Board that said: 'We refuse to let this victim be reduced to just another story. Cornell has failed to protect its students.' 

Jameela Jamil

Jameela Jamil made a vulgar post on Instagram suggesting the men, who have not been charged with a crime, should be castrated.

'I think the likes of the Cornell 7 shouldn't be allowed penises anymore,' she wrote.

'They used them as weapons, so now they have to be confiscated. I think jail time, legal castration, and removal of the shaft seems like the bare minimum.' 

Hudson Williams 

The Heated Rivalry star posted an image of the accused fraternity brothers on his Instagram Stories and wrote: 'Arrest them. F**k them and f**k Cornell, too!' 

Megyn Kelly 

Conservative commentator Megyn Kelly aired her belief that the Cornell sexual assault case will likely not result in criminal charges.

The former lawyer said the seven men accused still 'behaved in a way [where] I would be incredibly ashamed of my own sons were they ever to behave this way.' 

But she flagged what she framed as serious 'legal problems' with the case.

She pointed to differences in Doe's original statements from the September lawsuit – statements she said did not meet New York State’s legal definitions for lack of consent. 

Kelly said of Doe: 'I don’t blame her for being traumatized. I bet she really is.

'But that, that doesn’t mean she gets praised as a national hero, folks. That, that is not the move here.'