Amid controversy over Kehlani, a prominent R&B artist, President Kotlikoff has cancelled her debut as the 2025 Slope Day headliner, all while assuring the student-body that a new performer would be announced shortly. After the announcement of Kehlani as the Slope Day headliner on April 10th, the student body has expressed concerns over the singer’s active support for Palestine.
The student group, Cornellians for Israel, started a GoFundMe to hire another performer, and raised about $26,000 of their $50,000 goal. The fundraiser is dedicated to financing another Slope Day artist who has not “actively utilized her following to spread hateful messaging.” Kehlani has previously posted videos with statements like “F*ck Israel, f*ck Zionism, and f*ck a lot of y’all too” and has featured pro-Palestinian messaging in the music video for her song, Next 2 U.
Kotlikoff had previously stated that it was too late to secure another performer at the April 18th Student Assembly meeting. He had also emphasized that Kehlani had been prohibited from making political statements during the concert and would not receive payment if she did.
StopAnitsemistism, a prominent watchdog group labeled Kehlani’s views as antisemitic, and criticized Kotlikoff’s defense of the artist choice and for allowing the performance to proceed on the basis that it was “too late” to change artists.
On April 23rd, in a reversal of his previous statement, Kotlikoff called Kehlani a performer who has espoused “antisemitic, anti-Israel statements in performances, videos, and on social media.” The president acknowledged her right to free speech but wrote that her presence at Slope Day would ultimately harm the unity of the Cornell community.
The controversy has attracted significant national attention. Cornell received coverage on their festival choice by the New York Post, ABC, and MSN. This attention is likely unwelcome, as it comes after Cornell is being investigated for anti-Semitic harassment by the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.
As of now, Louis the Child, an EDM group, remains on the Slope Day lineup. While it is not known when a new performer will be announced, Slope Day is expected to occur on May 7th. With only two weeks remaining, Cornell has a tight deadline to find a new headliner for its flagship campus event.
