Vincenzo Schettini at Sanremo 2026 amid controversy Who he is and what he will do

The fourth evening of the Sanremo Festival 2026, Friday 27 Februarywill see the professor’s debut on the stage of the Ariston theatre Vincenzo Schettinithe YouTuber and science communicator who has become a real web star and not only thanks to The Physics We Likethe YouTube channel followed by almost a million users.

His participation in the singing event was accompanied by an aura of mystery, linked to controversies that have overwhelmed Schettini in recent days: after being rumored as a guest at the Festival, for a few days it seemed that his participation had been cancelled. Then, surprisingly, his name was announced at the press conference by the deputy director of Prime Time Entertainment Claudio Fasulo.

What Vincenzo Schettini will do in Sanremo 2026

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“Vincenzo Schettini will be with us tonight,” Fasulo confirmed before explaining what he will do on the Ariston stage: “He will talk about addictions and youth problems, from alcohol and drugs to digital addiction thanks to his ability to speak to young people.” A presence strongly desired also in light of ongoing collaboration between Schettini and the Presidency of the Councilalso underlined by Fasulo himself: “This is why the Presidency of the Council has started a collaboration with him”.

Schettini at Ariston amid controversy

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Vincenzo Schettini, already at the helm of the Rai 2 program The physics of lovebroadcast in late evening for two seasons in 2024 with ratings that were anything but exciting, ended up at the center of controversy after being a guest on the podcast of another of the protagonists of Sanremo 2026, Gianluca Gazzoli.

On that occasion the 48 year old, professor of physics at the IISS “Luigi dell’Erba” in Castellana Grotteon the outskirts of Bari, provided his own vision of the future of public schools: “School will also be enjoyed a lot online, outside of school. Many teachers like me will start working part-time because they will start offering their content online, perhaps even for a fee. Why must a product be on sale in a supermarket and why shouldn’t good culture be on sale?”.

After those declarations, which came at a time when public schools are not facing one of their best periods, statements and testimonies from former students began to appearready to accuse Schettini of having forced them to follow and comment on his lessons on YouTube – outside of school hours, therefore – in exchange for higher grades. The person concerned promptly defended himself with some statements released to theHANDLE: “If I had really forced my students, a complaint would have arrived, a report. At school in recent years nothing has ever come down on me, except praise.”

“I believe that a term and the tone were misrepresented when I said that I ‘forced’ my students to follow my live shows. The term I used was certainly unfortunate: I never forced anyone, the tone was ironic”, continued Schettini, but his words were not enough to put a stop to the controversy. Perhaps this is also why his participation in Sanremo 2026 remained in doubt until the end.