Sophia Bush Responds to Alleged Peter Thiel Connection, Denies Ties & Explains Why She Attended That Conference

Getty

Sophia Bush is speaking out after a report connected her to billionaire Peter Thiel’s invite-only society Dialog.

THR published a list of names that were included in a leak from the “code of the society’s website.” Sophia, who was among several names included, is providing information on her ties to the elusive society.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt already released a response to being named as well.

Who is Peter Thiel and what is Dialog?

Thiel is an openly-gay entrepreneur and investor who co-founded PayPal and Palantir Technologies. He has supported Republican candidates and causes, including Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. He was also an early and significant supporter of JD Vance, supporting his 2022 U.S. Senate campaign.

From the organization’s website: “leaders join Dialog to discuss topics off-the-record.”

Sophia Bush responds to being named in the report

Sophia released a lengthy statement on Threads.

I go to a lot of conferences and have for close to 20 years. Last year (and the year before), I accepted nearly every single invitation I received to discuss ANOTHER BODY — the documentary Nia and I executive produced that explains and demands action be taken against Al deepfake abuse — and the DEFIANCE Act, legislation I’ve championed for years to help hold criminals accountable and protect women and girls (97% of the victims of deepfake abuse) with it.

You can imagine my surprise to learn that a conference I was invited to as a guest who could counter the “it’s-all-progress” narrative of this seeming runaway Al race was founded by someone you could not pay me to be in a room with, let alone charge me money to be in a room with!? To be clear, that individual was not present, was never brought up during my experience there at all, and as I’ve since learned he has not been involved whatsoever in approximately 15 years. My values are very clear and consistent. I work to protect families—by defending democratic institutions and safeguarding basic human rights.

I did find the conference weekend valuable, in the same way I find it valuable to meet with and important to engage with people who see the world differently than I do in addition to the work I do alongside likeminded allies. (It’s why I meet with both Democratic and Republican Congressional leaders when I campaign on Capitol Hill.) I watched diverse perspectives be heard and considered around tables.

I do wish I would have researched the event beforehand, but even if I had, I probably still would have gone because I firmly believe that having women standing up for women (and ringing alarm bells about our common and dangerous experiences with emerging technology) in rooms like these is of paramount importance. I want to ensure people are made to have that conversation. I want them to see us and to demand that they protect us. By the time I left the event early (had to fly to NC for another) I felt I had been heard, and I felt like I’d listened too.

I am proud of who I am in any room where I am advocating. And I’m proud of the values I brought into those conference rooms and conversations I had while there, and I feel the same way about the other artists and activists I attended with.

Sophia also replied to a lot of comments.

View on Threads

The post Sophia Bush Responds to Alleged Peter Thiel Connection, Denies Ties & Explains Why She Attended That Conference appeared first on Just Jared - Celebrity News and Gossip | Entertainment.