Graduation season is in full swing, and that means we'll be full of tears, happiness, celebration, and family time. No matter when you graduated, you probably received some words of wisdom from relatives or past graduates. But the real wisdom comes from the graduation speeches.
If you've ever heard a powerful commencement speech, there were probably parts of it that you will remember — and take inspiration from — for years. This is especially true if you had a memorable guest speaker — like one of these celebrities. A long list of stars, including Jennifer Garner, Steve Carell, and Matthew McConaughey, have been invited to colleges and universities across the country to spice up — let's be honest — what can sometimes be long and tedious ceremonies.
Celebrities are known for giving epic speeches because they are used to the attention, fanfare, and entertaining people. What's more, all that experience learning lines and delivering dialogue on-set means they are oratory pros — they're not likely to stumble over their words or flub their speech.
And considering their colorful careers — they step into all sorts of interesting roles, travel around the world, and meet countless fascinating people — they have a lot of life experience and wisdom to impart to the next generation as they embark on their adult lives. We can see why the colleges have them on speed dial!
Here are some of the best celebrity speeches of the bunch — and thanks to video recordings, we can relive them anytime we need a quick pick-me-up!
Steve Carell
Funnyman Steve Carell had the entire crowd rolling with laughter at Princeton University's 2012 commencement. To conclude his hilarious speech, he left the graduates with one final thought: "Every once in a while, put something positive into the world. Do something kind, make somebody laugh, and do not take yourself too seriously."
Even though the grads and their families were getting rained on, they appeared to love every minute of it.
Stephen Colbert
Some universities are lucky enough to have a celebrity as an alum — this was the case when Stephen Colbert spoke at Northwestern University in 2011 on the 25th anniversary anniversary of his graduation from the school.
He started out warning the graduates, who were about to head out into the big, wide world, "I'm counting on you to not make me look like an idiot — so be great, no pressure!" He also told the story of how he never received his diploma on his actual graduation day because of an incomplete class, which he found out on the morning of the ceremony!
Matthew McConaughey
Because of the health crisis, in-person graduations were canceled across the US in 2020. So Good Morning America decided to host its own universal commencement, recruiting Matthew McConaughey to address graduates everywhere.
To the class of 2020, he urged, "Make it count and above all, just keep living," in his short but enthusiastic speech.
Ashton Kutcher
The University of Iowa Honors Program shared its commencement talk via a virtual ceremony in 2020. Ashton Kutcher — who was born and raised in Iowa — was the chosen speaker, and he revealed what his original career goal was before Hollywood came calling. (He wanted to be a geneticist.)
As for his advice, he encouraged the Iowa graduates to take the road less traveled and stay open to new possibilities. "Life will throw you some crazy, crazy curveballs. It will send you opportunities and in directions you couldn't even imagine. And if you have the plan locked in, you might just miss the opportunity."
Will Ferrell
Comedian Will Ferrell delivered the 2017 commencement speech at the University of Southern California after receiving an honorary degree. He told the story of how he grew up learning to accept his silliness and weirdness, and he assured the graduates that it was fine if they "didn't have it all figured out."
He told the crowd, "Enjoy the process of your search without succumbing to the pressure of the result, trust your gut, keep throwing darts at the dart board, don't listen to the critics, and you will figure it out." And if those wise words weren't enough, he ended his speech by breaking out into song, doing a rendition of "I Will Always Love You."
Chadwick Boseman
Chadwick Boseman shared some of his personal experiences as a student at Howard University while delivering the school's 2018 commencement speech. "You would rather find purpose than a job or a career. Purpose crosses disciplines, purpose is an essential element of you. It is the reason you are on the planet at this particular time. Your very existence is wrapped up in the things you are here to fulfill," he told those gathered.
And though the Black Panther star sadly died in August 2020, his legacy will live on at Howard because the university announced in May 2021 that it was naming its College of Fine Arts after him.
Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep's 2010 address at Columbia University's Barnard College — one of the most watched graduation speeches on YouTube — was full of comparisons between her amazing acting career and how it is so similar to real life.
She told the women graduates, "Women are better at acting than men. Why? Because we have to be. Pretending is not just play, pretending is imagined possibility. Pretending or acting is a very valuable life skill, and we all do it all the time."
Amy Poehler
Amy had the chance to speak at the oldest university in America, Harvard, in 2011. She gave advice as a Bostonian, a New Yorker, and an actor.
Drawing from her own career experiences — as a TV and movie comedian, she's frequently teamed up with friend Tina Fey — she advised: "You can't do it alone. As you navigate the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other people's ideas are often better than your own."
Michelle Obama
Former first lady Michelle Obama gave an inspiring speech at Virginia Tech in 2012. As such a smart and successful woman, it's no surprise that her address was full of wise moments for a school that only a few years before had endured an unspeakable tragedy. She noted, "In the end, people can only define you if you let them. In the end, it's up to each of us to define ourselves."
It's such great advice that we can all use today.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey has been asked to speak at more than a dozen different universities — are we surprised? — but her latest opportunity was a full-circle moment for her. She spoke at Colorado College in 2019, the very year when the last girl from her school in Africa graduated and received her diploma. This speech is epic because of Oprah's incredible storytelling talents.
She spoke about how you never know where life is going to take you — so it's important to hold tight to your dreams. "Your purpose is to do what you have to do until you can do what you want to do. Here's the truth: For years I had a job and did a lot of things I did not want to do. I got demoted and discovered my life's calling," she shared.
John Krasinski
In 2019, John Krasinski opened his speech at his alma mater of Brown University by asking, "Why am I up here?" (Though he must have loved the experience in the end because he threw his own virtual commencement in 2020.)
He left the Brown crowd with a long list of life advice: "Find more of your people, lean all the way in, take chances, fail big and take chances again, listen to music, remember to believe in something, and fall in love as many times as it takes. Before you do something special, just do something."
Mindy Kaling
It is an honor for anyone to be asked to speak, and this celeb has been asked more than once. Mindy Kaling most recently spoke at Dartmouth, her alma mater, in 2018.
She was thrilled to be back at her school and told the graduates, "Don't be scared if you don't do things in the right order, or if you don't do certain things at all." She said she wouldn't change the fact that her own life took an unexpected path — because it turned out exactly the way it was supposed to.
Barack Obama
Former president Barack Obama added Howard to his long list of commencement speeches in 2016 after earning an honorary degree from the university. He encouraged the class of grads to be good listeners.
"Change requires more than just speaking out — it requires listening as well. In particular, it requires listening to those with whom you disagree — and be prepared to compromise," he said. These are lessons he certainly has practiced in his own career.
Jennifer Garner
At Denison University's 2019 graduation, 1994 alum Jennifer Garner spoke about how college afforded her family more opportunities in life — something she's never taken for granted.
She urged the graduates, "Insist on optimism, dig in, fight for what makes you optimistic about the world. Find it, insist on it, dig into it, go after it." After all, the sky's the limit.
Shonda Rhimes
TV queen Shonda Rhimes noted that it was rare for alums to speak at Dartmouth when she made her commencement speech in 2014. She encouraged graduates to pursue activism to not only make themselves better but to bring about change in the world around them.
She also shared some wisdom that us parents can appreciate: "As you try to figure out the impossible task of juggling work and family, for once I'm going to answer that question with 100% honesty. The answer is this, I don't. Whenever you see me somewhere succeeding in one area of my life, that almost certainly means I am failing in another area of my life. And yet, I want my daughters to see me succeeding. And I am a better mother for it."
