Comedian Conan O’Brien used a high-profile commencement speech at Harvard University to take repeated shots at President Donald Trump and his administration, drawing loud reactions from the crowd Thursday.
According to Fox News, the former late-night host mixed humor with political commentary during the address, joking about everything from his college years to the administration’s legal battles involving Harvard.
At one point, O’Brien joked that he planned to sue the university over several personal grievances from his time as a student.
During the speech, he referenced his “less-than-spectacular undergraduate sex life” and the “cast-iron bunk bed” in his dorm room before pivoting to Trump.
“I’m confident that my claims will have more merit than those filed by the President of the United States,” O’Brien said as the audience erupted in cheers.
The remark appeared aimed at the Trump administration’s ongoing disputes with Harvard over allegations involving antisemitism on campus and race-conscious admissions policies.
O’Brien later mocked the administration’s concerns about international students attending Harvard.
“As you are aware, the current administration feels Harvard admits too many foreign students,” he told graduates.
“And who knows, maybe they may have a point,” he continued. “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?”
The comedian continued the bit with absurd examples meant to ridicule anti-immigration arguments.
“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,” O’Brien joked.
Later in the speech, O’Brien criticized what he described as a growing culture of narcissism and a lack of empathy in American leadership.
“Our current leadership in Washington believes that empathy is a weakness, and that our nation stands supreme and alone,” he said.
He also criticized social media culture, telling students that smartphones and algorithms encourage people to view themselves as the center of everything.
“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 quickly dismissed the comedian’s remarks.
“Nobody in their right mind cares what woke celebrities in Hollywood say or think,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital.
Although O’Brien has frequently joked about conservative politicians throughout his career, he has also criticized comedians who focus exclusively on attacking Trump.
Earlier this month on his podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” the comedian pushed back against claims that comedians and the media unfairly target conservatives.
“There’s this misconception that the media just wants to go after conservatives,” O’Brien said.
“And they don’t understand that everyone benefits when they laugh at themselves. Everyone wins. If you laugh at yourself, it humanizes you.”
