Comedian Jerry Seinfeld took aim at Harvard University during a commencement speech at Duke University on Sunday, mocking the Ivy League school's recent reputation for political unrest. Seinfeld also addressed a group of anti-Israel protesters who disrupted the ceremony upon his introduction.
Jerry Seinfeld, the renowned comedian and creator of the hit sitcom "Seinfeld," delivered a commencement address at Duke University on Sunday, May 15th, 2022. The speech was met with both applause and a walkout by several anti-Israel students.
Seinfeld began his speech by taking a playful jab at Harvard University, his alma mater. "I'm not talking about Harvard now. I'm talking about the way it used to be. You're never going to believe this, Harvard used to be a great place to go to school," he said.
"Now it's Duke," he added, noting that he had a lot of Harvard graduates on his staff in the 90s who were embarrassed about attending the Ivy League school.
Seinfeld's comments come amid growing criticism of Harvard's handling of student protests and its investments in companies that do business with Israel.
Some students chanted "free Palestine" while leaving the ceremony after Seinfeld, a vocal supporter of Israel, was introduced. Anti-Israel students have set up encampments at colleges across the U.S., including at Harvard University, to protest the schools' investments in Israel and the Israel-Hamas war.
Seinfeld did not address the protesters directly in his speech and instead focused on his message to Duke's graduates. He spoke about the importance of hard work, attention to detail, and finding passion in life.
"Whatever you're doing, I don't care if it's your job, your hobby, a relationship, getting a reservation at M Sushi," the comedian said. "Make an effort. Just pure, stupid, no-real-idea-what-I'm-doing-here effort. Effort always yields a positive value, even if the outcome of the effort is absolute failure of the desired result. This is a rule of life. Just swing the bat and pray is not a bad approach to a lot of things."
He told the graduates to fall in love with everything they do, not just in their relationships. "Fall in love with your coffee. Your sneakers. Your Blue Zone parking space. I've had a lot of fun in life falling in love with stupid, meaningless physical objects," Seinfeld said. "I have truly spent my life focusing on the smallest things imaginable, completely oblivious to all the big issues of living."
Seinfeld concluded his speech by offering the graduates a simple but profound piece of advice: "Just be nice to people."
Seinfeld's speech was well-received by the majority of the audience, who gave him a standing ovation. However, the speech was also met with some criticism from those who felt that he should have addressed the issue of the anti-Israel protesters directly.
Despite the controversy, Seinfeld's speech was a memorable and inspiring event for the graduates of Duke University.
