Jerry Seinfeld dealt with yet another group of pro-Palestine hecklers during a stand-up show in Australia. During his Saturday night performance at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, Seinfeld faced interruptions from protesters who chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” towards the end of his set.
“Oh, you’re back. They’re back! The protesters are back! I missed you,” Seinfeld said, reacting to their heckling.
“Listen, you and I are in the same business. We’re in the same business,” Seinfeld continued. “Our business is to get people to see things the way we see it. The problem is, you’re in the wrong place.”
Seinfeld, who is Jewish, has been vocal in his support for Israel following the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7. His wife also funded a pro-Israel protest at UCLA last month.
The audience booed the hecklers and subsequently cheered Seinfeld for the way he handled them. “Do you hear how well I’m doing?” Seinfeld mocked. “This is what you want.”
Then he went in for the kill.
“I think you need to go back and tell whoever is running your organization, ‘We just gave more money to a Jew,’” the comedian said. “That cannot be a good plan for you. You gotta come up with a better plan.”
US comedian Jerry Seinfeld has hit back at pro-Palestine protesters after disrupting his show at Rod Laver Arena last night.
The shutdown sent the crowd into a fit of laughter, with the hecklers quickly escorted out of the show. #9News pic.twitter.com/sMR6Rga42r
— 9News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) June 23, 2024
Fox News noted that he’s “faced similar disruptions at previous shows during his Australia tour.”
When a heckler chanted “from the river to the sea Palestine will be free” during a show in Sydney, the comedy icon replied sarcastically, “We have a genius, ladies and gentlemen. He solved the Middle East. He solved it.”
“It’s the Jewish comedians, that’s who we have to get. They’re the ones doing everything,” he went on.
The protester kept shouting, “Free Palestine,” to which Seinfeld replied, “Go ahead, keep going.”
“They’re going to start punching you in three seconds, so I would try and get all your genius out, so we all learn from you. It’s a comedy show, you moron. Get out of here,” Seinfeld said.
He added, “You’re really influencing everyone here. We’re all on your side now because you have made your point so well and in the right venue. You’ve come to the right place for political conversation.”
The audience cheered Seinfeld’s riffs as he went on to mock the idea of protesting comedy shows over international issues.
At a separate show in Adelaide, a man yelled “free Palestine” and called Seinfeld a “hack” while waving a Palestinian flag as the audience booed, news.com.au reported.
“You have strong political feelings but you don’t know where to say them,” the comedian fired back, according to the outlet. “You think that ruining the night … it doesn’t affect me … all these people, you’re ruining their night.”
Seinfeld has also dealt with antisemitic hecklers at his performances in the United States.
Last month, pro-Palestine students protested Seinfeld’s commencement address at Duke University. When he took the stage, there was a chorus of “boos” and pro-Palestinian slogans shouted. A small number of students also walked out. Seinfeld did not acknowledge those protests during his speech.
