Chris Pan tells New York Post that Ohio State graduation speech backlash gave him 'PTSD'

Yahoo

15-05-2025

One year after he spoke at Ohio State University's spring commencement, Chris Pan told the New York Post that he's experienced post-traumatic stress disorder following the blowback he received after his speech.
Pan — a social entrepreneur, early Facebook employee and Ohio State alum — was selected to speak at the university's spring commencement ceremony, held on May 5, 2024. The address split audiences, dubbed by some online and in the media as "cringe-worthy" and "the worst Ohio State commencement speech ever" and praised by others, saying they appreciated his insight and the moments of meditative reflection during his address.
Some who disliked Pan's speech said it was inappropriate to encourage students to invest in cryptocurrency during his address. Others found it odd that Pan included two sing-along musical numbers and a moment of group meditation.
In a May 14 article published by The New York Post, Pan said he wanted to give those who didn't get a high school graduation because of the COVID-19 pandemic to get their big moment.
'And especially for a group that didn't get a high school graduation because of COVID, I really bent over backwards, like my heart was like what can I do to really elevate and celebrate these grads and I got so much backlash,' Pan told The New York Post.
'So you can imagine like someone that pours their heart out and gets just beat down if I'm a little still like PTSD," Pan said.
Pan also told The New York Post that "no one's applauding me for like trying because I gave a lot of effort."
Pan previously told The Dispatch that he struggled with some of the negative feedback.
"Without a doubt, on one hand, it's been the hardest week of my life emotionally to see my name get dragged through the mud," Pan said in an interview last May.
Emails obtained by The Dispatch in December through a public records request showed that Pan originally had even grander plans for his commencement address, including fireworks and an appearance by the university's marching band.
Pan said in a December interview with The Dispatch that he still stands by his speech and only wanted to share truth with graduates and their families
"I was not conventional. Maybe I would do it differently now, but that was in my heart," Pan said at the time. "It was genuinely well-intentioned."
Higher education reporter Sheridan Hendrix can be reached at [e-mail] and on Signal at @sheridan.120. You can follow her on Instagram at @sheridanwrites.
(This story was updated to add a photo gallery.)
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Chris Pan tells New York Post he has 'PTSD' after OSU graduation speech