US stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld, known for the NBC sitcom named after him, mocked Israel’s killing of Palestinians in Gaza after being confronted by protesters at his show in Chicago on Friday.
Footage posted on social media shows multiple pro-Palestine audience members interrupting his show in Chicago, condemning Seinfeld for his support of Israel and calling him a "genocide apologist" and a "racist".
One heckler shouted at the American comedian, saying, "74,000 Palestinians have been killed by the racist state of Israel". to which Seinfeld replied, "I am a racist, it’s a genocide, I’m into it".
“I’m racist, it’s a genocide, I’m into it.” American comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s show in Chicago was met with protests from some audience members who interrupted the performance with chants condemning the killing of 22,000 Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip. Seinfeld responded by laughing and dancing on stage, threatening one of the protesters that he would find the cost of their ticket and send the money to Israel.
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 12, 2026
He also mocked the protesters with dances on stage as security removed one of the audience members from the premises, and even addressed another individual directly, saying, "I’m gonna find out how much your ticket was, and I’m sending it to Israel".
The protest comes amid growing calls to boycott Seinfeld over his increasingly vocal support for Israel and controversial comments on Palestinians and the Palestine solidarity movement as a whole.
Several Portuguese artists have announced they would not participate in the upcoming Lisbon International Humour Festival, citing opposition to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and Seinfeld’s support for its war campaign.
Set to run from 29 October until 1 November, Seinfeld is scheduled to close the event at the Portuguese capital’s MEO Arena on the last day of the festival.
Appearing at an event at Duke University in 2025, Seinfeld drew comparisons between the "Free Palestine" movement and the Ku Klux Klan, claiming that individuals using the slogan were antisemitic and hostile towards Jews.
In June this year, the comedian drew criticism after telling a pro-Palestine livestreamer that the state of Palestine "doesn’t exist".
Seinfeld’s wife Jessica reportedly donated in 2024 $5,000 to Charity for Israel – a pro-Israel group aiming to counter the large pro-Palestine student movement that staged encampment protests at dozens of American university campuses following Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.