Commencement Speaker

Jerry Seinfeld portrait

Jerry Seinfeld

Comedian & Actor


Duke University will welcome comedian and actor Jerry Seinfeld as commencement speaker at its commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 12.

Now in his fifth decade as a stand-up comedian, Seinfeld is best known for playing a fictionalized version of himself in the eponymous sitcom he cocreated with Larry David for NBC. Seinfeld aired for nine seasons and 180 episodes between 1989 and 1998 and was the most-watched show in America at various points during its run. It is often cited as one of the best and most influential television comedy series ever made, and Seinfeld won an Emmy and a Golden Globe award for his acting on the show.

Seinfeld graduated from Queens College, City University of New York with a degree in communications and theater in 1976. His career has included numerous stand-up specials and documentaries. His interview series, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, which featured Seinfeld interviewing fellow comedians and other public figures while driving to get coffee, ended in 2019 after 11 seasons.

Seinfeld will receive an honorary Doctor of Arts degree.

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