Turning Point USA has booked comedian Chris D’Elia, who faced multiple public allegations in 2020 of soliciting nude photos from underage girls, to speak at a campus tour stop next month.
Story Snapshot
- TPUSA listed Chris D’Elia as a speaker for its “America: Love It or Leave It” tour stop at the University of Nevada, Reno on October 5, 2026.
- D’Elia faced widely reported 2020 allegations that he asked underage girls for nude photos and pursued inappropriate contact with them.
- A 2021 lawsuit accused D’Elia of soliciting sexually explicit photos from a 17-year-old, going beyond social media claims into a formal legal filing.
- TPUSA’s own tour materials also list Riley Gaines, Will Witt, and Nala Ray at the same event.
- TPUSA’s chapter rules require national office approval before any campus speaker gets booked.
Tour Announcement Names D’Elia As Headliner
Turning Point USA announced its fall 2026 “America: Love It or Leave It” tour on August 25, 2026. The group’s press release and website list Chris D’Elia among the speakers for the October 5 stop at the University of Nevada, Reno. The same announcement confirms Riley Gaines, Will Witt, and Nala Ray as fellow speakers at that event.
The booking was not quietly buried in a schedule. TPUSA published it in a formal press release, meaning the organization put the speaker list in front of the public on its own terms. That choice now sits alongside a set of allegations against D’Elia that first surfaced years before this tour was ever planned.
What The 2020 Allegations Actually Said
The Los Angeles Times reported on June 20, 2020 that five young women accused D’Elia of sexual improprieties. One woman, Simone Rossi, said D’Elia asked her to “make out” and send photos while she was underage. D’Elia’s team later released email exchanges with accusers, and D’Elia said he had “never knowingly pursued any underage women”.
Other outlets reported the same core claims within days of each other in June 2020, describing accusations of grooming and requests for nude photos alongside D’Elia’s denials. The allegations did not stay confined to social media. In 2021, D’Elia was named in a lawsuit accusing him of soliciting sexually explicit photos from a 17-year-old, a filing that moved the claims from public accusation into a formal legal record.
TPUSA’s Own Rules Require Vetting
Turning Point USA’s chapter handbook states that local chapters must get approval from the national office before booking any campus speaker. The group describes its mission as training young Americans in fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government. Neither document explains how the D’Elia booking fits that stated purpose, since no internal memo or vetting record has been made public alongside the announcement.
This case fits a pattern that shows up again and again on college campuses. Speaker invitations regularly turn into three-way fights between student free-speech rights, university risk management, and public pressure over a speaker’s past. Groups that study academic freedom have tracked a steady stream of these disputes for years, and campus organizations across the political spectrum have faced similar backlash over who they choose to put on stage.
Why This Fits A Bigger Pattern Of Distrust
Voters on the left and right increasingly share one complaint: institutions, whether in Washington or on campus, seem more focused on optics and loyalty than on basic accountability. A youth political organization publicly naming a headliner who faced serious, well-documented allegations, without any public explanation of its vetting process, feeds that exact frustration. It raises a simple question that cuts across party lines: who is actually checking this stuff before it goes public?
TPUSA has not issued a public statement addressing the D’Elia allegations in connection with this booking, based on the materials reviewed. The tour listing remains live, and the October 5 date at the University of Nevada, Reno is still scheduled to proceed as announced. Whether the university or TPUSA offers any further explanation before then remains an open question for students and parents watching the event unfold.
Sources:
youtube.com, tpusa.com, latimes.com, vanityfair.com, usatoday.com
