New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is facing criticism over her appearance in a Netflix documentary examining allegations that seven men sexually assaulted a woman at Cornell University as the case undergoes a renewed investigation.
The seven men have not been criminally charged. In October, Hochul signed an executive order appointing New York Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to oversee the investigation.
Hochul appears roughly 13 minutes into the recently released film, “Instadocs: Jane Doe v. Cornell,” where she discusses her reaction to the allegations and the attention surrounding the case.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New York Attorney General Letitia James attend a press conference regarding an investigation into alleged sexual assault at Cornell University, in New York City, US, October 2, 2026. (REUTERS/Jeenah Moon)
“My first reaction was how disgusting, not again. You feel like, not again,” Hochul said during the interview.
The governor also recalled her own time as an undergraduate at Syracuse University in the late 1970s.
“There were a series of rapes our first week on campus and there was a sense of anxiety all around,” Hochul said.
The fraternity house at the center of a rape allegation stands on the campus of Cornell University on Oct. 8, 2026, in Ithaca, New York. (Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)
She criticized what she described as a longstanding “culture” that “has never changed.”
“The number of people involved and the repugnancy of her allegations would’ve drawn you to local police department fairly quickly,” she said.
The allegations by Jane Doe drew nationwide attention after she filed a civil lawsuit against seven members of Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity, the university, her sorority and other parties. She alleges that she was drugged and sexually assaulted by multiple men at a fraternity house in 2024.
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New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New York Attorney General Letitia James during a news conference in New York on Oct. 2, 2026. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Doe filed the lawsuit nearly two years after first reporting the allegations to local authorities. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said that “multiple prosecutors and criminal investigators reviewed Jane Doe’s statement and correctly determined the alleged facts as set forth in the statement do not constitute a crime.”
During the Netflix interview, Hochul also addressed questions about how law enforcement handled the allegations.
Students protest on Ho Plaza at Cornell University, Monday, October 5, 2026, in Ithaca, NY, in response to a protest over an alleged sexual assault in 2024, involving some members of the Chi Phi fraternity. (Richard Beetham for News Outlet)
“In a situation like this, you want to make sure that people believe in the process,” she said.
Donna Rotunno, a criminal defense attorney, Fox News contributor and host of the “Crime and Justice with Donna Rotunno” podcast, faulted Hochul for participating in the documentary. She argued that the governor’s comments could deepen concerns about whether the prosecution is being handled fairly.
“The governor can say anything she wants about anything. The question is, should she?” Rotunno said.
“The problem you have here is there has already been the air of impropriety,” she added.
Rotunno further questioned why Hochul became involved two years after the allegations were first reported, calling the timing of the governor’s concern “suspect.”
“If she was so in tune as to what was happening in Ithaca or elsewhere in the state of New York, this is probably something that should have been on her radar.”
Asked by News Outlet why Hochul chose to appear in the documentary, a spokesperson for the governor said: “Governors routinely speak to news and media organizations about matters of significant public interest.”
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