Comedian Jerry Seinfeld told an audience at a private Chabad event at Duke University that he regarded the Ku Klux Klan more honestly than supporters of the Free Palestine movement, according to accounts published by campus and national outlets.
Seinfeld, 71, made the comments while introducing Omer Shem Tov, a former Israeli hostage, at the event in Durham, North Carolina. He was quoted as saying, "Just say you don’t like Jews," and adding that, "compared to the Ku Klux Klan, I'm actually thinking the Klan is actually a little better here because they can come right out and say, 'We don't like Blacks, we don't like Jews' — OK, that's honest," remarks reported by The Duke Chronicle.
The appearance was organized by Chabad at Duke and was not publicized in advance, the university said. A Duke spokesperson told reporters the institution’s welcoming of guest speakers "does not imply any endorsement of their remarks," and confirmed that Chabad was the lead organizer. Chabad’s student group president, Mason Herman, told NBC News the event’s purpose was to raise awareness about more than 40 hostages still in Gaza and to share the experience of individuals who had been held captive.
Seinfeld has been vocal in his support for Israel since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack at the Nova music festival. In the weeks and months after that attack, he traveled to Israel, met with families of hostages and recounted experiencing a missile attack while there. He told reporters at the Duke event that he hoped to "call attention to the plight of the hostages" with his public remarks and appearances.
The comedian’s recent public statements on the Middle East have previously prompted controversy on college campuses. In May 2024, Seinfeld presided over Duke’s commencement ceremony, and approximately 100 graduating students left the ceremony early in protest of his stated views on the conflict.
News organizations reported that the event at Duke was open only to students, faculty and staff. Daily Mail reported it had reached out to Seinfeld’s agent for comment. The student newspaper account and statements from university and Chabad representatives provided the basis for descriptions of the remarks and the context in which they were made.
Seinfeld is an Emmy-winning entertainer whose public commentary on the Israel-Hamas war and the situation in Gaza has drawn attention and mixed reaction. Organizers and university officials emphasized that hosting a speaker did not equate to endorsement of every comment made at the event, and student leaders framed the gathering as intended to highlight hostage cases and personal testimony rather than to serve as a political rally.