As Seinfeld Receives Honorary Degree at Duke, Students Walk Out in Protest
Following the walkout, the comedian, who has been vocal about his support for Israel, opted to take a lighter approach in his commencement speech.
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Dozens of Students Walk Out of Duke Commencement Ceremony
As the comedian Jerry Seinfeld received an honorary degree at Duke University’s commencement, dozens of students walked out and chanted, “Free Palestine.” Some also chanted Mr. Seinfeld’s name during the walkout.
From stage: “Big deal about our commencement speaker?” [crowd boos and cheers] Some in crowd: “Free Palestine!” Some in crowd: “Free Palestine!” Some in crowd: “Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!” From stage: “Thank you.”
Eduardo Medina and
Reporting from Duke University’s campus in Durham N.C.
Jerry Seinfeld knows his way around handling awkward moments onstage. Even so, the initial reception he faced at Duke University’s commencement on Sunday reflected a more complicated audience than usual.
As Mr. Seinfeld, who has recently been vocal about his support for Israel, received an honorary degree, dozens of students walked out and chanted, “Free, free Palestine,” while the comedian looked on and smiled tensely.
Many in the crowd jeered the protesters. Minutes later, as the last of the protesters were filing out, he approached the mic. His first words were: “Thank you. Oh my God, what a beautiful day.”
In his commencement speech, Mr. Seinfeld was mostly cautious, opting for a tight comedic script interspersed with life advice instead of a full-on response to the protests against his presence.
Still, in one part of his speech, he defended various types of privilege and appeared to hint at the elephant in the room.
“I grew up a Jewish boy from New York,” he said to applause from the crowd. “That is a privilege if you want to be a comedian.”
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