On Wednesday, Cornell University canceled a performance by Kehlani because of the singer’s stance on Gaza. The R&B artist, who is a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights, was to appear at the school’s annual Slope Day celebration on May 7. But on Wednesday, Cornell president Michael I. Kotlikoff told students in a letter published on the university’s website that he had called off Kehlani’s booking. Kotlikoff said he had “heard grave concerns from our community that many are angry, hurt, and confused that Slope Day would feature a performer who has espoused antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments.”
The announcement of Kehlani as headliner earlier this month was met with outrage by pro-Israel students — particularly the Cornellians for Israel Club, which called the artist an “antisemite” in an Instagram post. Per the school newspaper, the club circulated a petition to cancel the performance that got more than 5,000 signatures and raised more than $28,000 to bring an alternate performer to campus. (The petition did not specify whom they wanted to perform in Kehlani’s place.)
Kehlani has long been outspokenly pro-Palestinian on social media and in their music. Their 2024 music video for the song “Next 2 U” features dancers in keffiyehs in front of the Palestinian flag and opens with an anti-war poem by a Palestinian American writer. The video also includes text reading “Long Live the Intifada” — an Arabic term meaning “uprising” that’s been embraced in pro-Palestinian protests as a call for liberation but that others have accused of promoting violence against Jews and Israelis.
“While any artist has the right in our country to express hateful views, Slope Day is about uniting our community, not dividing it,” Kotlikoff wrote. As of Thursday morning, the university has not announced a replacement artist.
The Cut has reached out to Kehlani’s reps for comment and will update this post if we hear back.
