Jerry Seinfeld received an honorary degree at Duke University’s commencement on Sunday, but before he could begin his speech, the comedian was met with student walkouts.
According to the New York Times, dozens of students left the graduation ceremony and chanted “Free, free Palestine” in protest of Seinfeld, who has been vocal about his support of Israel. Others in the crowd responded to the protesters with applause and cheers of approval for Seinfeld, who began his speech with, “Thank you. Oh my God, what a beautiful day.”
Though Seinfeld did not address the walkouts directly, he hinted at the culture of political correctness in his advice to the graduates. “I totally admire the ambitions of your generation to create a more just and inclusive society. I think it is also wonderful that you care so much about not hurting other people’s feelings in the million and one ways we all do that every second of every day,” Seinfeld said. “It’s lovely to want to fix those things, but — all caps, but — what I need to tell you as a comedian, do not lose your sense of humor. You can have no idea at this point in your life how much you’re going to need it to get through.”
As reported by the Times, outside the stadium where the graduation was held, the students who walked out held a makeshift graduation ceremony and were joined by some faculty and family members. “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest,” they continued to chant.
In addition to posting about his support of Israel on social media, in December Seinfeld made a trip to Tel Aviv to meet with families of the hostages taken during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. Earlier this month, his wife, Jessica Seinfeld, promoted on Instagram a UCLA counterprotest to the pro-Palestinian demonstrations that have been taking place at universities across the country.
Representatives for Seinfeld did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.
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