Jerry Seinfeld's comedy show disrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters
LI-raised comedy star Jerry Seinfeld was heckled by pro-Palestinian protesters at the first of his two stand-up shows in Norfolk, Va., on Saturday. Credit: Getty Images / Mat Hayward
Protesters against civilian casualties in Gaza heckled Jerry Seinfeld at a performance Saturday, saying the Massapequa-raised comedy star is complicit due to his strong support of Israel in that nation’s war against the terrorist group Hamas.
At the first of Seinfeld’s two shows at Chrysler Hall in Norfolk, Virginia, off-screen male voices in an audience member’s cellphone video can be heard yelling, “Save the children of Gaza!” and “No more American tax dollars for genocide!”
Amid more yelling in the video, posted on Instagram by the group Hampton Roads for Palestine, Seinfeld, 70, asks, “What’s that?” As many in the audience boo the protesters — at least one of whom appears to be tussling with at least one evident security guard before being escorted out — Seinfeld riffs sarcastically, “I think your message is resonating with the crowd. People seem to be on your side.”
Moments later he adds, “This is exciting. I like this. … I like it when the Jew-haters spice up the show.”
There were no reports of disruptions at Seinfeld's second show that night, his last until a Tennessee performance on May 30.
Seinfeld and his wife, author Jessica Sklar Seinfeld, visited Israel in December to show solidarity with the Jewish state and survey the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks that killed roughly 1,200 citizens, mostly civilians, and took about 240 hostages, several of whom have since been killed.
The nonpartisan Washington Institute for Near East Policy, disputing the often-reported figure stating 72% of the Gazan fatalities are women and children, estimates they nonetheless make up 58% of those killed. While noting a lack of reliable data, the Institute also acknowledged “the very real and widespread loss of life in Gaza and the severe humanitarian crisis that its population continues to suffer.”
In a statement to Newsday, Chrysler Hall’s parent company, SevenVenues, said, “We are deeply disappointed that a group of protestors [sic] disrupted … Jerry Seinfeld performance at Chrysler Hall. SevenVenues stands by its policy to remove hecklers and those who disrupt a performance, and will continue to protect the freedom of its patrons to enjoy an artist of their choosing without disruption.”
