Beyonce joins Taylor Swift along with Katy Perry and the Obamas on YouTube for Dear Class of 2020

2020 is only half over, and major life events continue to be canceled or postponed, including graduation ceremonies for the class of 2020.

In response, YouTube put together an all-hands-on-deck special web event called Dear Class Of 2020, which was streamed live on Sunday. 

Megastars such as Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Jennifer Lopez joined Barack and Michelle Obama, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson and many others to congratulate and celebrate graduating college and high school seniors remotely, while also taking time to acknowledge the unique moment the world finds itself in.

Lizzo kicked off the virtual festivities with a beautiful flute rendition of popular graduation standard Pomp And Circumstance, followed by inspiring welcome messages from Alicia Keys and Justin Timberlake. 

Soon after, Beyonce appeared to deliver a truly emotional and pointed commencement address, touching on everything from the unjust killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery to sexism in the entertainment industry.

The central message of Beyonce’s lengthy statement: ‘Keep investing and keep betting on yourself.’   

‘You have arrived in the midst of a global crisis,’ Knowles, 38, began, before mentioning both the coronavirus pandemic as well as the recent instances of violence and murder inflicted on the American black community which she said has ‘left us all broken.’

‘It has left the entire country searching for answers,’ she continued, later saying ‘The earth is ripping that bandaid off so we can see our wounds. That’s when true healing begins.’

Then, addressing the graduates in particular, the Countdown hitmaker said, ‘The real change has started with you,’ and ‘You are the answer to a generation of prayers.’

Queen Bey talked about the value of not following the path well-trodden, and how ‘stepping out is the best thing you can do in self discovery.’

‘There was a pivotal term in my life when I chose to start my own business a couple of years ago,’ she shared, noting how difficult and scary the prospect was – even for her.

‘The entertainment industry is still very sexist,’ Beyonce stated, specifying that there is ‘not a lot of female representation.’

‘There were not enough black women were at the table,’ she also said, ‘and that meant I had to chop down my own wood and make my OWN table.’

Later in her stirring speech, Beyonce talked about her art and her mission of ‘showing the beauty of black lives to the world.’

‘To our future leaders: know that you’re about to make the world turn. I see you. And to the young kings: lean into your vulnerability,’ she said.

‘You do have to spread your gift around the world in a way that feels authentic. Your queerness is beautiful. Your blackness is beautiful. Your compassion, your fight — is beautiful. It’s your time now.’

Knowles also addressed people’s detractors, losing and rejection as motivation, and the value of respect.

‘If you’ve ever been called dumb, unattractive,’ Beyonce said, ‘…so have I. 

‘Now is the time to turn those criticisms into fuel to become a beautiful beast!’

As for the ‘secret of success,’ Bey said, ‘Put in that work.’ 

And as for the tougher moments, she wanted graduates to find motivation in rejection. ‘I have blessed to have won 24 Grammys,’ she said, but also pointed out the she ‘lost 46 times.’

‘Losing can be the best motivator to get the wins,’ Knowles shared. 

‘Respect is everything,’ she also said. ‘The world will respect you if you respect yourself.’

In closing, Beyonce said, ‘My prayer for you is that you invest in yourself. I pray that you continue to celebrate and value lives that appear diff from your own.’   

Swift’s message to graduates was a lot shorter, and somewhat less in-touch.

‘I used to fantasize about high school graduation,’ the music superstar said, in an effort to sympathize with those going through that rite of passage today. 

‘Then when I got to that point in my life, I found myself on radio tour,’ Taylor said, mentioning how she spent the time ‘in rental cars.’

Others who appeared as part of the online special included Shawn Mendes, The Simpsons, Kelly Rowland, Janelle Monae and Camila Cabello.

Even the dear Rose family from Shcitt’s Creek showed up, to address the accomplishments of both the graduating students as well as the teachers, or as the inimitable Catherine O’Hara’s Moira insisted, ‘preceptors.’

The group was joined by the extended cast, led by Noah Reid’s Patrick, who sang a lovely, remote, a capella version of Mariah Carey’s Hero that was Zoom-crashed by none other than Carey herself.

David, a.k.a. Dan Levy, of course, fainted from the turn of events. 

Mariah took the opportunity to address the Class of 2020, saying ‘you rose to the occasion!’

She also paid special tribute to those difficult students who, like her, had trouble showing up to school on time. 

‘To the students who had to deal with this bleak moment,’ Mariah concluded, ‘you made it!’  

Late night hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert also participated in the event, with Kimmel in a makeshift graduation cap made out of a pizza box.