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Conan O'Brien blended humor, humility, and pointed commentary in a speech at the 2026 Harvard commencement ceremony on Thursday.

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Conan O’Brien struck an inspirational tone while addressing graduates at the 2026 Harvard commencement ceremony on Thursday, delivering a 25-minute speech suffused with the comedian’s self-deprecating humor, sprinkled with shots at the Trump Administration, and rounded out by a message of humility and openness.

O’Brien, who graduated from Harvard in 1985 with a degree in history and literature, was addressing a group of impending Harvard grads for the third time. Prior to Thursday’s ceremony, O’Brien delivered the school’s Class Day speech in 2000 and gave a virtual commencement address during the height of the pandemic in 2020.

Before his remarks, O’Brien was given an honorary doctorate by Harvard Provost John Manning.

In an ironic nod to both O’Brien’s lack of athletic prowess and his late-night TV counterpart, Manning also bestowed the comedian with the title of “Harvard’s own honorary late-night Letterman.”

“The son of a distinguished Boston lawyer and an eminent Harvard professor of medicine, [Conan] recalls that his father, an expert in infectious diseases, once offered a diagnosis of his son’s career in comedy,” Manning said. “‘Oh, I see,’ his father said. ‘You are making a living off of something that probably should be treated.'”

“It’s a happy thing for all of us that medical science has yet to find a cure,” Manning concluded.

O’Brien on the Trump administration

O’Brien began his speech by poking fun at Harvard President Alan Garber for the school’s recent announcement that it would be combatting grade inflation by limiting the number of A’s given to students.

“I want to thank President Garber for his incredible stewardship of this graduating class,” O’Brien said. “Fantastic job, sir. Really nice. Normally, I would give you an A-plus, but in keeping with upcoming Harvard policy, I’m adjusting your grade to a C-minus.”

After joking about other trivial campus controversies, like a lack of fresh berries in the dining halls, O’Brien moved on to the more serious topic of the Justice Department suing Harvard.

Mirroring the Trump administration, O’Brien announced that he would also be suing Harvard for a litany of offenses, including “the cast-iron bed” he slept in as a freshman, his “less-than-spectacular undergraduate sex life,” and being served a dining hall dish that combined “government-issued cod and spaghetti.”

“I’m confident that my claims will have more merit than those filed by the President of the United States,” O’Brien said, to cheers.

O’Brien also made a point to address President Trump’s effort to limit enrollment of foreign-born students at Harvard.

“The current administration feels Harvard admits too many foreign students. And who knows, maybe they may have a point,” O’Brien said. “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?

“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 continued.

Conan O’Brien’s life lessons

The comedian then pivoted to sharing a number of life lessons, including (fittingly) learning how to pivot.

“I have had to course-correct so many times in my career that my path is a crazed tangle of zigs and zags,” O’Brien said. “I famously lost a job that meant the world to me. And then years later, I saw the entire format of late-night television — something that I had dedicated my career to — start to evaporate.

“So, at the suggestion of a very smart friend, I started a podcast,” O’Brien continued. “I actually had disdain for the project until — with the help of guests, collaborators, and an assistant addicted to gummies — I made something I love just as much, if not more, than my late-night show. I have had to pivot like this so many times that I’ve come to really love pivoting. And I use the word pivot much more than I should, in conversation and in commencement speeches.”

O’Brien then told the students about lessons he learned while traveling the world for his HBO show “Conan O’Brien Must Go,” namely that letting yourself be vulnerable and humble could lead to greater connection.

“When I travel to another land, every quality I have discussed — community, adaptation, and a sincerely humble approach — are all necessary when you don’t speak the language,” O’Brien said. “No one truly cares where you went to college, and you have no choice but to make friends.”

O’Brien acknowledged that his speech’s lessons were at odds with the current political climate, but nevertheless implored the students to de-emphasize the personal and embrace community.

“I understand that I am preaching modesty and connection at a time when this is not in style,” O’Brien said. “We are living through a period of extreme narcissism. Our current leadership in Washington believes that empathy is a weakness, and that our nation stands supreme and alone. Add to that, 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.

“Much has been written about how isolated and siloed we’ve become,” O’Brien continued. “But for me the antidote is quite simple: by de-emphasizing what makes us special. In your case, a prized degree. We can really find one another, not as an exercise in virtue, but as a path towards greater laughter, love, and real growth.”