ABC’s Modern Family actor Ed O’Neill says he plans to give back his honorary doctorate degree to Youngstown State University in protest of the school hiring former Republican congressman Bill Johnson as its new president.
“I was so disappointed when I heard about this decision,” O’Neill told MSNBC. “He’s a polarizing guy, an election denier. He’s not the biggest fan of the gay community. He’s anti-choice. He’s just a polarizing, far right-wing fanatical guy.”
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O’Neill, who is from Youngstown, Ohio, also criticized Johnson for supporting former President Donald Trump after the 45th president was indicted, saying, “It’s crazy.”
After being asked what he’s “going to do with the honorary degree” that he received in 2013, the Married with Children actor said, “Well, I’m looking at it right now, it’s on the wall, and I was actually quite proud of getting it, because, you know, I never graduated from Youngstown State University.”
“When I got the honorary doctorate, I used to tell my kids, ‘Call me doctor,’ you know, ‘I’m a doctor, an actual doctor.’ I was very proud of it, but I can’t keep it. It doesn’t mean anything to me now,” O’Neill added.
The actor went on to say that Youngstown State University hiring Johnson is “a slap in the face to all of us.”
“And I can’t have it,” O’Neill said of his honorary degree. “I’m giving it back.”
However, Mike Peterson, chair of the university’s Board of Trustees, said he believes Johnson will be “forward thinking and an investment in the future of YSU.”
“He understands the vision of our strategic plan,” Peterson said. “From the outset of this presidential search process, we have looked for candidates who have the attributes we want in our next president.”
“Our president must delegate, be a team-builder, avoid micromanaging, successfully fundraise and, especially, understand the challenges we face in higher education generally and particularly in Ohio,” Peterson added. “Bill Johnson meets and exceeds those expectations.”
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