Mumbai: Comedian Jerry Seinfeld is once again stirring the pot with his political views. In a video circulating online, after Seinfeld is mocked by pro-Palestine protesters during a stand-up show in Chicago, he sarcastically declares, “I’m racist. It’s a genocide. I’m into it.”
The show at the Chicago Theatre on 9 October was the latest instance of Seinfeld supporting Israel. A video compilation from the performance shows several people interrupting his set, accusing him of supporting the “genocide in Gaza.”
One man called Seinfeld a “racist” and shouted that 74,000 Palestinians had been killed by Israel. Seinfeld sarcastically agreed, saying, “I am a racist.”
The man continued shouting before calling the 72-year-old comedian a “genocide apologist”.
“I’m going to find out how much your ticket was and I’m sending it to Israel,” Seinfeld said in response, before quickly adding, “No, I won’t. I’m keeping it.”
Another woman interrupted while Seinfeld was joking about being fed up with his mobile phone provider.
“Well, I’ve had enough of genocide. Seventy-four thousand Palestinians have been killed. Twenty thousand Palestinians have been killed with our taxpayer money, and you’re making jokes,” she shouted.
Seinfeld started dancing as she was escorted out.
“I’m racist. It’s a genocide. I’m into it,” he said.
The woman kept shouting: “You support genocide, Jerry. Shame on you. You support the death of tens of thousands of children. Shame on you. Your legacy is genocide and racism.”
The audience booed the protesters and cheered Seinfeld. Shouts of “Shame on you” and “Free Palestine” continued as the protesters were taken out.
Seinfeld has been outspoken in his support for Israel since the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023. He travelled there with his family in December that year, met families of Israeli hostages and visited Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the communities attacked by Hamas.
His support has drawn protests before. In May 2024, dozens of students walked out of Duke University’s graduation ceremony while he delivered the commencement address.
Seinfeld has also made several comments about Palestine. In February 2025, he told an activist that he didn’t care about Palestine. Later that year, he compared the Free Palestine movement to the Ku Klux Klan. And in June this year, when someone asked him to say “Free Palestine”, he laughed and replied that Palestine “doesn’t exist”.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)