Comedian Jerry Seinfeld made an impassioned plea to graduating students at Duke University on Sunday (May 12) to maintain their sense of humor throughout life, “even if it's at the cost of occasional hard feelings.”

Dozens of students walked out of the ceremony in protest at Seinfeld being guest speaker, due to his support for Israel throughout the war in Gaza, according to videos of the event posted on social media.

In a recent interview with the New Yorker, Seinfeld, who received an honorary degree at Duke, complained that political correctness by the “extreme left” is leading to the disappearance of funny TV shows.

During his speech, Seinfeld also defended the concept of “privilege”, telling students they should not be shy about utilizing the fact that they attended a high profile university.