15 Famous Harvard Graduates You Might Not Expect

“Mr. President, if you want to insult me, come back and insult me ​​to my face.”

With these words, US Senator Ted Cruz responded to the verbal attacks of former President Barack Obama during the 2016 presidential election.

Although these two politicians seem to be completely opposite in terms of ideology and character, they actually have one thing in common: they are both famous graduates of Harvard University.

This prestigious university is used to educating leaders, change agents and, more generally, the crème de la crème of the world.

Founded in 1636, the oldest Ivy League university is often considered the best university in the United States and at least one of the top five in the world. In addition to its exceptional education taught by professors who are mostly scientists or Nobel Prize winners, the university also offers world-renowned faculty, cutting-edge resources, and various extracurricular activities – everything you could want from studying at a university.

As a result, Harvard has produced hundreds of geniuses who have made the world a better place in their own way.

Of our more than 400,000 alumni worldwide, we have founded groundbreaking companies, invented new technologies, set world records and impacted the lives of billions of people around the world.

Not every famous Harvard graduate is famous for a good reason. Source: AFP

Notorious graduates of Harvard University

Unfortunately, there are some bad eggs on the Harvard alumni list that the university is not particularly proud of.

A notorious example is Ted Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber.

The now-deceased terrorist shipped or delivered a series of increasingly sophisticated homemade bombs over the course of 17 years, killing three Americans and injuring many more. His bombing spree began in 1978, just 16 years after Kaczynski had earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Harvard.

Another notorious graduate was the Reverend Cotton Mather, a Puritan minister from New England who was associated with the Salem witch trials; some even say he was one of the leaders of the witch hunt.

Mather received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard in 1678. Although he claimed to be a man of science (he studied genetics and promoted smallpox vaccination), he also believed in witches. His “expert testimony” about witches led directly to the executions at the Salem Witch Trials.

Joe Gould, also known as Professor Seagull, is another notorious Harvard figure. The eccentric writer, who claimed to be the author of the longest book ever written, “An Oral History of the Contemporary World,” attended the prestigious university before being expelled due to his strange behavior that bordered on insanity.

These are a few rare cases of notorious graduates that the university wants to sweep under the rug, but there are many others that can be used as examples.

Here we list famous Harvard graduates. Some are popular, some are controversial, and some names you might not expect.

Famous graduates of Harvard University

The Ben Shapiro Show is a daily conservative political podcast and live radio show. Source: AFP

1. Ben Shapiro

Ben Shapiro is an American lawyer, columnist, and author. He has written columns for Creators Syndicate, Newsweek, Ami Magazine, and was an editor at The Daily Wire, which he co-founded in 2015. Shapiro is also a renowned conservative political expert and host of the “Ben Shapiro Show,” a daily political podcast and live radio show.

He attended Harvard Law School and graduated in 2007 with a Juris Doctor, an American degree for obtaining a professional legal title.

2. Caroline Wozniacki

The former tennis world champion enrolled at Harvard Business School in 2019 to learn how to build a second career outside of sports.

We’re not sure if this is in preparation for her retirement in 2020, but while there, she spent a semester participating in the Crossover Into Business program, which pairs MBA students as mentors with professional athletes to develop their business acumen.

3. Chris Nowinski

Chris Nowinski, known to wrestling fans as Chris Harvard, received his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Harvard in 2000 and was famous for his participation in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 2002 to 2003.

Leveraging his status as a Harvard University graduate, the former wrestler is now co-founder and CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, a global charity that addresses brain injuries in military personnel, athletes, and all people affected by concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

4. Colin Jost

Colin Kelly Jost is an award-winning author, actor and writer best known for his work on “Saturday Night Live.” He is also known as the co-anchor of “Weekend Update” alongside Michael Che. Jost will join NBCUniversal’s coverage of the surfing event at the 2024 Olympic Games.

Jost graduated from Harvard University in 2004 with a BA in history and literature.

In 2010, Conan O’Brien was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people. Source: AFP

5. Conan O’Brien

Conan O’Brien is one of the famous Harvard graduates who rose to fame on late-night television. He hosted the popular shows “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien,” and “Conan.” Before his hosting career, he was a writer for “Saturday Night Live” and “The Simpsons.”

O’Brien graduated magna cum laude with a BA in history and literature in 1985.

6. Damien Chazelle

Award-winning American filmmaker Damien Sayre Chazelle made his debut with his film “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench” but broke through with “Whiplash,” “The Last Exorcism Part II” and “La La Land.” The musical earned Chazelle the title of the youngest director to win a Golden Globe and an Oscar.

Chazelle, who graduated in 2007, is one of the few famous Harvard graduates to hold a BA in film production from the Department of Visual and Environmental Studies.

Empress Masako was a commoner who became queen through her marriage to the Japanese Emperor Naruhito. Source: AFP

7. Empress Masako

How cool would it be to be a classmate of the future Empress of Japan? Empress Masako, born Masako Owada, has spent most of her life abroad. She is fluent in French, English and Japanese and has also won a prize from the Goethe Society for her German poetry.

While Empress Masako wanted to become a veterinarian when she was young, she graduated magna cum laude with a BA in economics in 1985, which doesn’t seem like a bad compromise.

8. George W. Bush

George Walker Bush was an American oil entrepreneur before serving as the 43rd President of the United States. During his presidency, the United States implemented major tax cuts, sent American troops to Afghanistan to crush the Taliban, and led to the more controversial invasion of Iraq.

Bush graduated with a master’s degree in business administration in 1975, making him the only US president with an MBA and one of Harvard’s most famous graduates.

9. J. Robert Oppenheimer

Robert Oppenheimer worked as an American theoretical physicist and science administrator before making a name for himself in the world of science by creating the world’s first atomic bomb with Lieutenant General Leslie Groves. The U.S. military later associated him with communists, despite his efforts to resolve the moral issues raised by scientific discoveries.

Oppenheimer completed his studies in chemistry in 1925.

10. Jeremy Lin

You wouldn’t have thought that NBA player Jeremy Lin would be on the list of famous Harvard graduates.

While at Harvard, he was named All-Conference three times. After graduating, he signed with the Golden State Warriors without going undrafted. Later in his career, he broke through with the New York Knicks. In addition to being the first Chinese or Taiwanese American to play in the NBA, Lin is also the first Asian American player to win an NBA championship, doing so with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.

Lin graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor’s degree in economics and achieved a grade point average of 3.1.

11. Nadine Lee

Despite not finding a life partner during her time on the South Korean reality show “Single’s Inferno 2,” Nadine Lee gained fame and love from her fans around the world. Over 1.5 million Instagram followers keep their fingers crossed that she has a future.

In addition, Lee is also known for being accepted to Harvard, Yale and Princeton. She chose Harvard and the rest is history — Lee Graduate in 2023 with a BA in Neuroscience and a minor in Computer Science.

Michael Bloomberg served three terms as mayor of New York City. Source: AFP

12. Michael Bloomberg

Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City and co-founder of Bloomberg LP, transformed the world of finance, business and government, making him a global leader and one of Harvard’s most famous graduates. In 2024, President Biden awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

Bloomberg completed his MBA in 1966.

13. Princess Sonam Dechen Wangchuck

Princess Sonam Dechen Wangchuck is a Princess of Bhutan and one of the most famous Harvard graduates as a member of the royal family. She worked for the Royal High Court of Bhutan and later for the judiciary of the Kingdom of Bhutan as President of the Bhutan National Legal Institute.

Princess Sonam graduated with a Master’s degree in Law from Harvard in 2007.

14. Tom Morello

Tom Morello discovered his love of music and politics in high school. He continued his studies at Harvard and graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts from the Committee on Degrees in Social Studies.

A few years later, he met Zack de la Rocha and the two formed Rage Against the Machine, which would become one of the most popular and influential metal bands of the 1990s.

An honorable mention

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the second woman to be appointed as the Supreme Court Justice of the United States. Source: AFP

15. Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Ruth Bader Ginsburg left a major mark on US politics and law. She served as an Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court until her death in 2020. Ginsburg dedicated her career to securing women’s rights and fighting for access to reproductive health care, pregnancy benefits and equal pay.

Ginsburg began her law studies at Harvard, where she was one of nine women in a class of 500. She was also the first female member of the Harvard Law Review.

During her senior year at Harvard, Ginsburg transferred to Columbia Law School to be closer to her husband, who had just recovered from cancer, graduated from Harvard, and moved to New York City to take a job at a law firm. Ginsburg followed him and eventually became a staff writer for the Columbia Law Review, graduating in 1959 as valedictorian.