8 controversial celebrity commencement speakers

Some students at the esteemed women's college objected in a petition to Bush as their commencement speaker, saying she dropped out of Smith to get married and was known primarily as the wife of a famous politician.

"I think these young women can have a lot to learn from Barbara Bush and from her unselfishness and from her advocacy of literacy and of being a good mother and a lot of other things," President George H.W. Bush said in 1990 in response to student protests, according to The New York Times.

Ultimately, Barbara Bush did give the commencement speech, delivering remarks that still resonate today.

"And who knows?" she told the students. "Somewhere out in this audience may even be someone who will one day follow in my footsteps, and preside over the White House as the president's spouse. I wish him well!'"

During the speech, some students stood with their backs turned and fists in the air while wearing red armbands in acknowledgment of "the great amount of bloodshed that came from African Americans while Giuliani was in office," Syracuse's student newspaper The Daily Orange reported.

Some faculty members of Syracuse's African-American studies program also did not attend in protest.

The protests followed a report from the Justice Department that members of the New York Police Department had engaged in racial profiling during Giuliani's time in office. Giuliani had fiercely denied the reported findings in October 2000.

In response to the protests, he said, "Protests don't bother me at all. People have every right to protest and I have very strong opinions. People disagree with me and they have every right to do that," according to The Daily Orange.

"Although we understand that in some respects Mr. Springer represents the best (and also the worst) of American First Amendment rights, we do not believe that he is worthy of addressing the Class of 2008," a student wrote on the legal news site Above the Law, per The Daily Northwestern.

Springer ended up winning over the crowd, getting a standing ovation after his speech, the American Bar Association reported.

"To the students who invited me — thank you. I am honored. To the students who object to my presence — well, you've got a point," Springer, who graduated from the school in 1968, said in his speech. "I, too, would've chosen someone else. But once asked it would've been kind of arrogant, or at least unappreciative, for me to have said 'no.' So, here I am."

He continued: "I've been lucky enough to enjoy a comfortable measure of success in my various careers, but let's be honest, I've been virtually everything you can't respect: a lawyer, a mayor, a major market news anchor, and a talk show host. Pray for me. If I get to heaven, we're all going."

"Maybe we won't agree on abortion, but we can still agree that this heart-wrenching decision for any woman is not made casually," he said in his speech, per The New York Times. "It has both moral and spiritual dimension. So let us work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions. Let's reduce unintended pregnancies. Let's make adoption more available. Let's provide care and support for women who do carry their children to term."

A protester was removed from the event for shouting "baby killer" during Obama's speech. Some students skipped the main ceremony altogether and held an alternative commencement, where they wore graduation caps adorned with crosses and baby footprints.

Franco earned a degree in English from UCLA in 2008.

One student wrote in the college's newspaper that "we don't feel he is as esteemed as a commencement speaker of UCLA's caliber should be." Students also created a Facebook group opposing his speech, calling him an "average student," according to Entertainment Weekly.

Franco ended up canceling his speech, citing a conflict with his filming schedule.

Both students and faculty protested the school's choice of Rice, pointing to her involvement in the Iraq War.

In a statement posted to her Facebook page, Rice said she was "unwilling to detract" from the commencement ceremony by becoming a distraction.

"Commencement should be a time of joyous celebration for the graduates and their families. Rutgers' invitation to me to speak has become a distraction for the university community at this very special time," Rice said.

Speaking at Rutgers' commencement two years later, Obama chided students for their role in pushing Rice to drop out.

"The notion that this community or the country would be better served by not hearing from a former secretary of state, or shutting out what she had to say — I believe that's misguided," Obama said. "I don't think that's how democracy works best, when we're not even willing to listen to each other." 

Common, who won an Academy Award in 2015 for his song "Glory" from the movie "Selma," was announced as Kean's commencement speaker through the college's Twitter account, Bergen County newspaper The Record reported. However, a Kean spokesperson told the newspaper that the announcement was premature.

"The students expressed interest in Common because he composed the Oscar-winning song 'Glory' with our prior commencement speaker John Legend," Kean spokeswoman Susan Kayne said. "While we respect his talent, Kean is pursuing other speaker options."

Known for his socially conscious lyrics, Common has been the subject of controversy for his 2000 track "A Song for Assata" about Black Liberation Army member Assata Shakur, Insider's Peter Jacobs reported. Shakur, also known as Joanne Chesimard, was convicted of killing a New Jersey state trooper in 1977. She escaped from prison and fled to Cuba.

New Jersey law enforcement representatives had denounced Kean's apparent choice of Common as their commencement speaker.

"We can't control who the university invites to speak. However, we will continue our efforts to make the public aware of Joanne Chesimard's escape and life on the lam and continue to seek her return to New Jersey and justice," Steve Jones, spokesman for the New Jersey State Police, told The Record.

While many colleges do not pay their commencement speakers — some offer honorary degrees instead — others do. Cleveland.com reported that Spencer's contract included airfare for two, lodging, and meals in addition to the $100,000 speaking fee. 

The university explained their decision to hire Spencer in a statement, saying that "it is common to bring in nationally recognized speakers with a powerful message that will last long after the ceremony concludes."

"Octavia Spencer's personal journey as one of seven children whose mother was a maid in Alabama, to attend and graduate from college will resonate with our graduates as they themselves accept the challenges and opportunities that await them following graduation," the statement read. "We know she will inspire the audience with a message that encourages each graduate to be their authentic selves as they set out to change the world. We are delighted to welcome her to Kent State."