YouTube Reschedules Virtual Commencement to June 7
Beyonce Knowles-Carter joins star-studded lineup for YouTube’s virtual 2020 graduation
Samson Amore | May 19, 2020 @ 10:38 AM
Last Updated: June 5, 2020 @ 9:50 AM
YouTube rescheduled its “Dear Class of 2020” event by one day in observance of a memorial service for George Floyd, the Minneapolis man killed by police last week. Floyd’s Raeford, North Carolina, memorial service will be held June 6, and YouTube’s virtual commencement event will now take place June 7.
The multi-hour live event will be streamed on the YouTube app and online beginning at noon PT. Fans can tune in on mobile or smart televisions, or YouTube’s Learn@Home website.
Music superstars Beyonce and Janelle Monae will join both former President Barack Obama and wife Michelle Obama in delivering an “inspirational message to the 2020 class,” YouTube said.
Graduating students who wish to upload their own video to be included in the commencement event can do so before Friday, May 22, via the “Dear Class of 2020” webpage. Students can also add virtual shout-outs through an online message board.
“While many of the traditional graduation ceremonies across the world have been canceled this year, the class of 2020 is not missing their chance to celebrate,” YouTube said in a statement. “You are the class of innovation and we know you all have found a way to celebrate your massive massive massive accomplishments from home.”
A full list of speakers and guests can be found below.
Commencement Speakers
President Barack Obama
Michelle Obama
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter
BTS
Lady Gaga
Robert M. Gates
Alphabet & Google CEO Sundar Pichai
Condoleezza Rice
Malala Yousafzai
Musical Performances
BTS
Chloe x Halle
CNCO
Lizzo and the New York Philharmonic
Maluma
Katy Perry
Megan Thee Stallion
A performance of “Beautiful Day” produced by Finneas featuring Leon Bridges, Camila Cabello, Noah Cyrus, Ty Dolla $ign, Cynthia Erivo, Khalid, Tove Lo, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, and Ben Platt
A performance of “Still I Rise” featuring Madison Calley, Misty Copeland, Naya Lovell, Janelle Monáe, Shonda Rhimes, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kelly Rowland, and Yara Shahidi
Guest Appearances
J.J. Abrams
Ray Allen
La La Anthony
Jack Black
Ian Book
Tom Brady
Erika Brown
Jenna Bush Hager
Andy Cohen
Stephen Colbert
Lana Condor
Cindy Crawford and Kaia Gerber
Joseph Gordon Levitt
DJ D-Nice
Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart
Billie Eilish
Missy Elliott
Bill and Melinda Gates
Evan Goldberg
Jake Gyllenhaal
Mark Hamill
Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson
Michael B. Jordan
Colin Jost
Rupi Kaur
Courtney Kemp
Keegan Michael Key
Alicia Keys
Jimmy Kimmel
Jennifer Lopez
Demi Lovato
Peyton Manning
Camila Mendes
Shawn Mendes
Hasan Minhaj
Natalie Morales
John Mulaney
Katelyn Ohashi
Chris Pine
Antoni Porowski
Billy Porter
Seth Rogen
Phoebe Robinson
Michael Strahan
Taylor Swift
Daisy Ridley
Justin Timberlake
Gabrielle Union and husband Dwayne Wade
Kerry Washington
Russell Westbrook
Russell Wilson and Ciara
Cast of HBO’s “Euphoria” including Zendaya
Cast of “Schitt’s Creek”
Cast of “The Simpsons”
YouTube Creators
Jackie Aina
AsapSCIENCE
Jade Bowler
Emma Chamberlain
Nikkie De Jager
Dude Perfect
John Green
Zane Hijazi and Heath Hussar
Mr. Kate
a Khan
Prajakta Koli
Liza Koshy
Margot Lee
Vanessa and Veronica Merrell
Sasha Morga
Mark Rober
The Try Guys
All the Broadway Shows Killed (and Postponed) Due to Coronavirus Shutdown
When New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo closed Broadway theaters on March 12, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the New York theater scene was heating up ahead of the Tony Awards -- with 31 shows playing and another eight scheduled to begin performances by mid-April. Now the theaters will remain dark until at least September -- and the Tony Awards have been postponed indefinitely. But the uncertainty of when theaters (and Broadway-bound tourists) might return has forced some producers to close shows early -- or push new productions to sometime in the future.
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Closed: "Hangmen"
Martin McDonagh’s new comedy, starring Dan Stevens ("Downton Abbey") and Mark Addy ("Game of Thrones"), announced March 20 it would not reopen after playing 13 preview performances ahead of an expected March 19 official opening.
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Closed: "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
The revival of Edward Albee's classic drama, starring Laurie Metcalf and Rupert Everett, had played just nine preview performances before Broadway went dark. With the scheduled April 9 official opening off the table, producers decided to close the show on March 21.
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Postponed: "Flying Over Sunset"
The new musical by composer Tom Kitt ("Next to Normal," pictured), lyricist Michael Korie ("Grey Gardens") and book writer James Lapine ("Into the Woods") was scheduled to begin performances on March 12 ahead of an official April 16 opening. On March 24, the Lincoln Center Theater announced the show's opening would be pushed to the fall -- and then in June pushed it back until spring 2021.
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Postponed: "Birthday Candles"
Noah Haidle's play, starring Debra Messing and Andre Braugher, was due to begin performances in early April. But on March 25, Roundabout Theatre Company announced it would open this fall instead.
Postponed: "Caroline, or Change"
Roundabout also delayed the opening of its revival of the Jeanine Tesori-Tony Kushner musical "Caroline, or Change," starring Sharon D. Clarke in an Olivier Award-winning performance. The show had been set for an April 7 opening at Studio 54.
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Postponed: "How I Learned to Drive"
Manhattan Theatre Club announced on April 7 it was postponing a Mary-Louise Parker-led revival of "How I Learned to Drive" to the 2020-21 season. The Pulitzer-winning drama, with David Morse as co-star, was due to open April 22, just before the cutoff for this year's Tony Awards.
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Closed: "Beetlejuice"
The Tony-nominated musical was being evicted from the Winter Garden Theatre on June 6 (even though ticket sales had dramatically improved over the fall and winter). Now producers are hoping to find a new theater when Broadway opens up, though there's no guarantee that will happen. The adaptation of Tim Burton's 1988 movie played played 27 previews and 366 regular performances.
Postponed: "Plaza Suite"
A new revival of Neil Simon's comedy starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick will now play March 19, 2021 through July 18, 2021. The show had been expected to begin previews at the Hudson Theater on March 13, the day after theaters were shut down.
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Postponed: "MJ"
The new Michael Jackson musical, starring Tony nominee Ephraim Sykes as the late King of Pop, had been planning to begin performances in July for an August opening. But now it's pushed back its debut to next spring, with a new opening night set for April 15, 2021.
Closed: "Frozen"
Disney's stage version of the animated hit "Frozen" became the first long-running show to close due to the pandemic. The Tony-nominated show opened in March 2018 and played 825 performances and 26 previews.
Postponed: "The Music Man"
A new revival of the classic musical starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster was set to begin performances in September for an official opening on Oct. 15. But in June, the production announced that the opening night would be pushed back to
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Closed: "Mean Girls"
The musical, which Tina Fey and Jeff Richmond adapted from Fey's 2004 movie, opened in April 2018 and played 805 performances before the pandemic shut it down. On Jan. 7, 2011, producers announced the show would not reopen.
Photo: Joan Marcus
Postponed: The Tony Awards
Since there's no word yet on when Broadway performances might resume, the Broadway League on March 25 indefinitely postponed this year's Tony Awards, which had been scheduled for June 7 at Radio City Music Hall. Though nominations were announced in October 2020, no date has been set for the ceremony.
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“The Music Man” with Hugh Jackman and other shows won’t reopen until 2021
When New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo closed Broadway theaters on March 12, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the New York theater scene was heating up ahead of the Tony Awards -- with 31 shows playing and another eight scheduled to begin performances by mid-April. Now the theaters will remain dark until at least September -- and the Tony Awards have been postponed indefinitely. But the uncertainty of when theaters (and Broadway-bound tourists) might return has forced some producers to close shows early -- or push new productions to sometime in the future.