Florence Pugh had her recent post calling out Cornell over the resurfaced sexual assault case involving seven fraternity members censored by Instagram.
While talking on “The View” Wednesday, host Sara Haines asked the “East of Eden” star about her comment at the beginning of the week after news about the sexual assault case at Cornell resurfaced. Pugh was glad she had the platform to give reach to her message despite the fact that Instagram censored her post.
“Rape is something that lives,” Pugh said. “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. I’m lucky enough to do what I do and I have a platform and I wanted to talk about it.”
She added: “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. 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.”
Last week, reports emerged that an anonymous former Cornell student was suing the school and seven Chi Pi fraternity members, claiming the organization failed to protect her and prevent the assault, alleged to have occurred in 2024. The Jane Doe claims that she visited the Chi Pi fraternity house while intoxicated, where she alleges that two frat brothers pressured her into snorting a substance they claimed was ketamine before beginning to sexually assault her. A man then allegedly told the frat’s Snapchat group that a woman was available for sex. The claimant then says she was raped for hours.
Pugh was one of the first celebrities to speak out against Cornell and the seven men allegedly connected to the assault. She took to her social media Sunday to share her long letter on the assault allegations.
“After reading about the young woman who was gang raped at her college by her friend and school peers, I’m feeling uneasy and sick and anxious. I’m processing quietly and watching everything and everyone and every man,” Pugh wrote. “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?”
She added: “Every single person who knew or heard about this happening, should be looked at with serious concern. 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. This is a killing of a soul. Destroying of a body and killing of a soul. And they’ve been let off? All it takes is 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! This is unacceptable.”
You can watch Pugh’s comments in the video above.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, help is available through RAINN, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. Call 800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit RAINN.org for confidential support and resources.
