Speakers Added to Commencement Podcast: Mary J. Blige, Rita Wilson & More

As graduating seniors prepare to take their next steps in life, there is one thing they will be missing out in this year: their graduation ceremony. iHeartRadio's "Commencement: Speeches for the Class of 2020" podcast — which launches on May 15th — seeks to bring commencement to this group of students by providing some inspiring and motivational words via speeches made by celebrities, athletes, business leaders and more.

Along with the previously announced lineup of speakers, also helping to provide commencement speeches for the new podcast include Bill and Melinda Gates, Becky G, Freida Pinto, George Lopez, Henry Winkler, New York Times bestselling author John Green, Mary J. Blige, T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert, Rita Wilson, Smokey Robinson, T.I., Apple CEO Tim Cook and Emmy award-winning news anchor Tom Brokaw.

The podcast will also include speeches from musicians like John Legend, Halsey, Kesha, DJ Khaled, Khalid, Pitbull and Tim McGraw, leaders like former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, US General Stan McChrystal, business leader and Co-CEO of Ariel Investments Mellody Hobson and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, athletes like FIFA World Cup champion Abby Wambach, NFL star Eli Manning and college basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski, in addition to stars like Chelsea Handler, Sienna Miller, Jimmy Fallon and Katie Couric. Speeches will also come from cosmetics icon Bobbi Brown, restauranteur and TV personality David Chang, journalist and NPR correspondent Guy Raz, MSNBC anchor Stephanie Rule and CEO of Epic Records Sylvia Rhone.

"Commencement: Speeches for the Class of 2020" will also feature speeches from iHeartRadio's own on-air personalities and podcast hosts, including Ryan Seacrest, Enrique Santos, Angie Martinez, Bobby Bones, Jake Brennan, Angela Yee, and Woody.

"Commencement Speeches for the Class of 2020" launches on May 15th, just a few days ahead of National Graduation Day (May 17th), on iHeartRadio and everywhere podcasts are heard. In addition, beginning May 15th iHeartMedia 850+ broadcast radio station stations across the country will air featured clips from the podcast every hour, culminating on Sunday night with a series of 30 minute on air commencement specials. The on air commencement specials will broadcast on every station between 7 p.m. and midnight local time and feature multiple speeches from the podcast – taking these inspirational speeches directly to hundreds of millions of graduates nationwide — so, put on that cap and gown, seniors.

And while graduates and their families are celebrating this important milestone, the US Census Bureau is partnering with iHeartMedia for "Commencement: Speeches for the Class of 2020" to remind everyone of the importance of responding to the census. The census counts where everyone in the United States was living on April 1, 2020. It’s easier than ever to respond online, by phone, or by mail. Listeners are encouraged to visit 2020census.gov to learn more about how and where to be counted.

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