Oprah is Now Your Kid's Graduation Speaker, So Things Could Definitely Be Worse

Amelia Edelman
·3 min read

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High school and college seniors everywhere are missing graduation this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. And, to be honest, it sucks. It’s something they’ve looked forward to — and worked their butts off towards — for so many years, and these kids deserve to be celebrated. But hey, silver linings: If you have a soon-to-be grad in your quarantine pod, you can cheer them up with the fact that their commencement speaker is now none other than Oprah Winfrey.

Yep, Oprah will be the official commencement speaker for your kid — and every kid about to graduate this year — thanks to a virtual grad ceremony that will be hosted by Facebook.

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Facebook (and its sub-company, Instagram) announced Tuesday that its virtual gradfest will occur on screens nationwide via Facebook Watch on May 15, beginning at 11 a.m. Eastern. The event’s official title (in case “virtual gradfest” didn’t grab ya) is “#Graduation2020: Facebook and Instagram Celebrate the Class of 2020.”

We’re convinced she’ll do a stellar job, because, well, she’s Oprah — but also because she’s quite the seasoned commencement speaker. Oprah has already brought graduation audiences to their feet across the country, from Harvard to her home state of Tennessee. If anyone can get a standing ovation via live streaming, it’s this lady.

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Graduation is a momentous occasion in any young adult's life. This year the Class of 2020 won’t experience that tradition as ceremonies around the country are being cancelled due to COVID-19. But @facebook and @instagram are working to make sure that graduates know how appreciated they are. On May 15, they’ll broadcast #Graduation2020: Facebook and Instagram Celebrate the Class of 2020, a multi-hour commencement celebration event. And the main commencement speaker is none other than @oprah! Tap the link in our bio to find out which other celebs will join her in the virtual celebration. Congrats to the class of 2020 🎓🎓🎓

A post shared by O, The Oprah Magazine (@oprahmagazine) on Apr 28, 2020 at 8:34am PDT

Oprah Magazine announced the initiative on its Instagram this week, writing that “Graduation is a momentous occasion in any young adult’s life. This year the Class of 2020 won’t experience that tradition as ceremonies around the country are being cancelled due to COVID-19. But @facebook and @instagram are working to make sure that graduates know how appreciated they are.”

Hell yes, they’re appreciated. And hopefully this setback (with an Oprah-shaped silver lining, that is) will just make them stronger.

Show a grad your appreciation with our favorite modern graduation gifts kids will actually use.

Launch Gallery: 15 Modern Graduation Gifts They're Guaranteed to Actually Use

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