Jerry Seinfeld told an audience at a Chabad event at Duke University that he holds the Ku Klux Klan in "higher regard" than supporters of the Free Palestine movement, saying the Klan is more "honest" about its views and urging critics to "just say you don’t like Jews." The remarks were made as the comedian introduced Omer Shem Tov, a former Israeli hostage, at a gathering intended to highlight the plight of people held in Gaza.
The appearance, which the Duke student newspaper The Duke Chronicle reported took place on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2025, was open only to Duke students, faculty and staff and was not publicized beforehand, the paper said. A Duke University spokesperson told reporters that welcoming guest speakers "does not imply any endorsement of their remarks," and that the student group Chabad at Duke was the lead organizer of the event.
According to The Duke Chronicle, Seinfeld said, "By saying Free Palestine, you're not admitting what you really think. So it's actually — 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." The student paper reported that Seinfeld introduced Shem Tov and had requested that the guest's appearance not be announced beforehand, given Shem Tov's spiritual journey while in captivity.
Mason Herman, president of Chabad at Duke and a student at the university, told NBC News that neither the Chabad student group nor the university should be held liable for Seinfeld's comments. Herman said the event's purpose was to raise awareness about the more than 40 hostages still in Gaza and to share Omer Shem Tov's story.
Seinfeld, 71, has been publicly outspoken in support of Israel since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack at the Nova music festival. In the months after the attack he traveled to Israel, met with families of hostages and, according to prior statements, experienced a missile attack while there. He has said those visits informed his perspective on the conflict and shaped his public commentary.
The Daily Mail first reported Seinfeld's remarks and said it had reached out to the comedian's agent for comment. Duke's statement reiterated that the university did not endorse speakers' remarks and that Chabad was the event organizer. Media coverage of the appearance reiterated that the gathering was limited to the Duke community.
The comments add to a pattern of public statements by Seinfeld on the Israel-Hamas conflict since 2023. The event at Duke brought together students, faculty and staff to hear from a former hostage and to discuss the ongoing situation involving hostages in Gaza, a subject organizers said was the focal point of the program.