Comedian Conan O'Brien addressed Harvard University's graduating class Thursday and used the occasion to take repeated aim at the Trump administration, drawing cheers from the audience with jokes about federal lawsuits, international students, and what he called extreme narcissism in Washington.
O'Brien, a Harvard alumnus, opened with a joke about suing the university himself over his undergraduate experience, including his dormitory accommodations. Then he pivoted.
"I'm confident that my claims will have more merit than those filed by the President of the United States," O'Brien said, a line that drew cheers from the crowd.
The remark referenced the Trump administration's legal actions against Harvard, which include lawsuits related to the university's alleged failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitism and discrimination based on race in admissions.
O'Brien then turned to the administration's efforts to block Harvard from issuing international student visas, which the administration has framed as a national security concern. He questioned the premise that foreign students harm American culture.
"As you are aware, the current administration feels Harvard admits too many foreign students," O'Brien said. "And who knows, maybe they may have a point. After all, what has any foreigner ever added to our American culture, with the possible exception of music, literature, art, cuisine, fashion, architecture, dance, scientific breakthroughs and the core of our moral codes and ethical beliefs?"
He continued: "If foreigners hadn't gummed up the works, right now we'd all be listening to delightful Calvinist reggae, eating savory Church of England ziti and dancing the forbidden and sexually charged Lutheran lambada."
His third comment targeted what he described as a culture of narcissism in the current political moment.
"Our current leadership in Washington believes that empathy is a weakness, and that our nation stands supreme and alone. Add to that, everyone here today has a phone in their pocket that is algorithmically programmed to celebrate you and you alone by making you the protein-maxing hero of your own special journey," O'Brien said.
The White House responded through spokesperson Davis Ingle, who told Fox News Digital, "Nobody in their right mind cares what woke celebrities in Hollywood say or think."
O'Brien has a complicated public relationship with political comedy. Earlier this month, on his podcast, he said there is a misconception that media only targets conservatives.
"There's this misconception that the media just wants to go after conservatives," O'Brien said on his "Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend" podcast. "And they don't understand that everyone benefits when they laugh at themselves. Everyone wins. If you laugh at yourself, it humanizes you."
Thursday's speech came as Harvard continues its legal and political standoff with the Trump administration over federal funding, student visas, and campus policy.
