WATCH: Jerry Seinfeld Booed By Pro-Palestine Protestors Walking Out of His Duke University Commencement Speech
Jerry Seinfeld was booed by pro-Palestine protestors over the weekend as he gave this year’s commencement ceremony speech at Duke University.
May 13 2024, Published 2:30 p.m. ET
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld was booed by pro-Palestine protestors over the weekend as he gave this year’s commencement ceremony speech at Duke University, RadarOnline.com can report.
The incident unfolded on Sunday as Seinfeld, 70, stood before nearly 7,000 students as they prepared to graduate from the prestigious Durham, North Carolina university.
But roughly 30 of those 7,000 students stood up and walked out of the graduation ceremony shortly after President Vincent Prince introduced the Seinfeld co-creator and awarded the comedian an honorary degree.
According to a video of the incident posted to X, the small group of graduates rose from their seats and walked out while waving Palestinian flags. The pro-Palestine protestors also booed Seinfeld as they exited the ceremony.
"I think it happened very well today," one graduate said of the graduation protest. "There wasn't any sort of disruption to the ceremony, and there was the opportunity for students to voice their opinions."
"This was a happy moment that we needed to share,” another Duke graduate said of the incident, “all of us.”
The incident unfolded on Sunday as Jerry Seinfeld, 70, stood before nearly 7,000 Duke University graduates.
As for Seinfeld, he chose not to address the protestors or the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and Rafah during his commencement ceremony address on Sunday.
Instead, the comedian shared his "three real keys to life” and told the new graduates to “work hard,” “pay attention,” and “fall in love.”
"Whatever you're doing, I don't care if it's your job, your hobby, a relationship, getting a reservation at M Sushi," Seinfeld started. "Make an effort.”
“Just pure, stupid, no-real-idea-what-I'm-doing-here effort,” he continued. “Effort always yields a positive value, even if the outcome of the effort is absolute failure of the desired result.”
Jerry Seinfeld chose not to address the protestors during his commencement speech at Duke University over the weekend.
“This is a rule of life,” the Unfrosted star added. “Just swing the bat and pray is not a bad approach to a lot of things.”
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As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the protest during Seinfeld’s commencement ceremony address at Duke University on Sunday marked the latest incident to take place at a college campus amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Middle East.
According to the New York Post, Seinfeld was met with animosity from the handful of Duke graduates over the weekend due to his outspoken support for Israel following the October 7 attack by Hamas against southern Israel.
Seinfeld faced similar backlash back in February when another group of pro-Palestine protestors gathered outside an event with the comedian in New York City.
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The comedian and Bee Movie star reportedly visited Israel in December to meet with survivors of the October 7 massacre and their families.
Seinfeld also faced similar backlash back in February when another group of pro-Palestine protestors gathered outside an event with the comedian in New York City. Those demonstrators reportedly called Seinfeld a “genocide supporter.”
Meanwhile, Duke University was not the only college to experience a minor disruption during its annual graduation ceremony over the weekend.
Roughly 60 graduates from Rutgers University organized a similar walkout during the New Jersey school’s commencement ceremony on Sunday.
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