Florence Pugh says Instagram ‘censored’ her Cornell 7 posts: ‘another shock women are censored’
Florence Pugh attends East of Eden NY Event | Netflix at Paley Center For Media on September 27, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Mendez/Getty Images for Netfl (Getty Images)
Florence Pugh has said Instagram “censored” her when she posted about the Cornell 7 case, saying she saw it as further evidence that women are silenced, as she discussed the issue on The View.
Appearing on the US talk show during her press tour for Netflix’s East of Eden, Pugh said: “I’m able to come here and talk about it in real life, even though, sadly, Instagram censored me when I said it, which is also just another shock that women are censored, even when they go through these things, they can’t talk about it.”
She added that she felt “very lucky and honored” to talk about it on the show, and described it as “an ongoing conversation”.
Pugh, 30, said she felt compelled to speak publicly because “rape is something that lives. The fear of it lives in our bodies”, adding: “When stories like this come out and it’s really not picked up in the way that you hope it’s picked up, it makes me feel scared, it makes me feel anxious, it made me feel so much rage.”
Why did Florence Pugh say Instagram ‘censored’ her posts?
Pugh originally posted about the case in an Instagram post that was covered with a content warning reading: “This post contains content that some people may find upsetting.”
She then shared a second post accusing Instagram of “blocking” her statement. At the time of publication, the second post was being blocked with a content warning, while the first post was still available to view.
In her original statement, Pugh urged men to speak out, writing: “This is really the moment where we need our men to be as horrified and as sickened as us”. She also called on them to be “leading conversations about how we change the allowance and complicity of this behavior as much as we are”.
What are the Cornell 7 allegations?
The “Cornell 7” is an online label for seven men accused in a sexual assault allegation connected to Cornell University in New York state.
The case involves a former Cornell University student who claimed she was drugged and gang raped by seven fraternity house members in 2024, and the case was reopened after she filed a civil lawsuit.
The accused men are Winston Lee, Scott Kretzschmar, Scott Norris, Matthew Ingalls, Jonathan Newell, Gillio Lopes, and Diego Sarabia. At the time of writing, they have not been charged and deny the allegations.
