Court orders Dr. Jordan Peterson to take social media training to keep his license
Author and psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson argues on 'Fox & Friends' that the goal of the ruling is to take his license to practice clinical psychology and share details about his upcoming online university.
Canadian psychologist and author Dr. Jordan Peterson described his ongoing court battle over free speech on Friday, after he was ordered to take social media training because of past controversial posts.
Peterson, a professor emeritus of the University of Toronto psychology department, was sentenced to mandatory social media training by the Ontario College of Psychologists last year. He was forced to comply with the order after three Ontario Divisional Court judges dismissed his legal complaint against the administrative board.
On "Fox & Friends" Friday, Peterson was doubtful that social media training would change things.
"I'm in their hands at the moment fundamentally because they've already sentenced me, so to speak, to an indefinite period of social media retraining, with some social media expert, whatever the hell that is," Peterson bluntly remarked. "So I'm obliged to undertake that training, at my own expense, for an indefinite period of time until they in their wisdom presume that I've learned whatever it is I'm supposed to learn. Which, given my nature, strikes me as highly unlikely."
Dr. Jordan Peterson explained his court battle over academic freedom after he was ordered to take mandatory social media training because of his dissenting views.
The academic has generated controversy in recent years with several posts calling out transgender ideology, politicians, and climate change. The psychologist was suspended from Twitter in 2022 for rebuking transgender actor Elliot Page.
Peterson said the goal of the board was to "take his license."
All professionals in Canada under a regulatory board are at risk of losing their livelihoods, the psychologist argued.
The academic board is "making an example of me," he said, as one of the most well-known dissenting voices on gender ideology.
"It's definitely the case that the goal is to take my license," he said. "Because what they'll claim after dragging me through, whatever this re-education is going to be, is that I can't be taught, that I'm ungovernable… that he's a disgrace to his profession and ungovernable."
Peterson previously pledged to be transparent with the public on whatever training he is forced to take.
Dr. Peterson has been ordered to take social media training for his politically incorrect tweets or potentially lose his psychology license in Ontario, Canada. (Carlos Osorio/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
Peterson also shared information Friday about his online university he's launching as an alternative to "corrupt" universities.
"We have about 30 professors. And they are very, very good professors. I've been privileged to meet some of the most intelligent and informed people in the world. We brought them down to Miami and filmed them, producing eight-hour lectures… we're going to soft launch that the end of February," he described.
Peterson said he hopes to provide a widely available, inexpensive and high-quality option for students with the new project.
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Fox News' Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.