1999 College graduate John Legend visited campus on Monday afternoon alongside model Chrissy Teigen and Jack Schlossberg to advocate for youth voter participation and stump for the Harris-Walz campaign.
Legend, Teigen, and Schlossberg — a Vogue political correspondent and the sole grandson of former President John F. Kennedy — spoke at the Covenant statue, commonly known as the Tampons, to a crowd of around 100 Penn students for an event hosted by Penn Democrats. During the visit, which took place just eight days before the general election, Legend reminisced on his time at Penn while encouraging students to vote, while Schlossberg marked his second visit to campus this cycle.
“What’s up you Quakers? I love Penn, I love Philly!” Schlossberg — who previously visited the University for a Penn Dems event in September — said before launching into a brief speech about the importance of youth civic engagement.
Schlossberg claimed that election results rely on youth voter turnout, emphasizing the historical impact of young voters in elections.
“Everyone in the whole country is counting on you guys, here in Philadelphia, since Pennsylvania is the most important state,” Schlossberg said, referring to Pennsylvania’s status as an important swing state in the election.
He then introduced Teigen, who was met with cheers from the crowd and said she is “here for the simple fact that we have to save democracy.”
“You guys are deciding the election," Teigen said. "You have so much incredible power.”
Teigen then mentioned the connection which Legend, her husband, has to Penn as an alumnus — though he was not initially present at the event.
“I actually hear about Penn all the time,” Teigen said. “John [Legend] is always so happy to be here … I’ve never seen anybody love their school so much.”
Teigen discussed Legend's continued involvement with the Penn community, citing him attending class reunions and giving the 2014 Commencement Address. While she initially told the crowd that her husband was apologetic for not being present, Legend surprised the crowd shortly after — and was met with cheering and screaming.
“Did my wife talk shit about me?” he opened by asking the audience.
Legend began his speech by noting that this year marks his 25th anniversary of graduating from Penn. He emphasized how happy he was to "be back on Locust Walk, be with all of you, and support two candidates we all believe in: Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.”
He encouraged the crowd to work to ensure Harris and Walz are elected, encouraging the assembled students to all convince at least one person they know to vote.
“You all right here have the power to sway this election," Legend added. "As students, as young people, you have a unique voice that can change the course of history. Philly may be the birthplace of democracy, but I know that — for our future to survive — we need each of you … to take control over the destiny of this country and elect the right people into office.”
Legend then reflected on his time at Penn and his life after graduation. He mentioned that he initially chose to work as a management consultant for the Boston Consulting Group, a popular job choice among Penn graduates.
Legend said that he "couldn't shake" his passion for music, prompting laughter from the crowd. During his time at Penn, Legend was a member of the Counterparts a capella group.
Legend explained that he could “live that dream” of pursuing a career in music because of the foundation that Penn provided him.
“All of you have the power to use this education to make a difference in the world and I really believe that each of you will do that," he said. "You inspire me.”
After the speeches concluded, Teigen hosted a trivia contest between Legend and Schlossberg against Penn Dems members.
Penn Dems leaders told The Daily Pennsylvanian that all their initiatives are with the purpose of doing everything they can to "mobilize Penn students." College junior and Penn Dems Vice President Veronica Smith added that bringing celebrities out on campus helps boost members' energy since Penn Dems are hosting events almost every day to increase voter turnout.
“Something like this draws a big crowd, and then if we can get these people to volunteer with us, or join Penn Dems, or even just vote … It's all gonna help Penn swing blue," Smith said.
College junior and Political Director of Penn Dems Lucas Eisen also emphasized the importance of students voting, adding that “we have a unique chance to get it right."
“By get it right, I mean send representatives to Washington who will work for us, who respect our identities and just don’t outright demean them,” Eisen said. “This school is incredibly diverse. There are a lot of opinions, a lot of identities here, and I think that we need people who should respect that, and Donald Trump has shown that he does not respect that.”
College first year Molly Lang told the DP after the event that she was impressed with Penn Dems consistently bringing influential people to campus, noting that this was Schlossberg’s second visit.
“It's just really amazing how they can get all these activists, influencers, celebrities, [and] politicians here … to get across the Harris-Walz campaign,” she said.
College first year Caroline Baker also praised Penn Dems' ability to bring influential speakers to campus. She highlighted the importance of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania in the 2024 election, explaining that “we are the voice that can make change.”
“It’s great to see all the student engagement on campus,” she said. “We are the generation that will be affected by this election … John, Chrissy, and Jack coming is only increasing engagement so [Penn Dems] is doing a great job.”
Senior reporter Jasmine Ni contributed reporting.
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