Backlash over Kermit the Frog delivering 'woke' university's commencement address
The University of Maryland has been slammed after having Kermit the Frog deliver its commencement address.
About 13,500 graduates gathered in the college's SECU Stadium on Thursday, where the character delivered his controversial commentary.
Kermit was chosen as this year's speaker as an homage to his creator, Jim Henson, an alumni who passed away in 1990 at 53.
'As you prepare to take this big leap into real life, here's a little advice - if you're willing to listen to a frog,' the green Muppets star eagerly told the crowd.
'Rather than jumping over someone to get what you want, consider reaching out your hand and taking the leap side by side, because life is better when we leap together.'
His roughly 15-minute lecture also included a Rainbow Connection sing-a-long, a nod to the 1979 Muppet Movie where Kermit, voiced by Henson, debuted the song.
But what was meant to be an inspirational message has sparked fierce backlash, with critics claiming the fictional frog was way off base.
Riley Gaines, a conservative podcaster known for her advocacy against transwomen in women's sports, tore into the address on a Fox News Hannity Special on Friday.
'It's unserious, it's out of touch, and frankly, it's insulting,' the former swimmer told host Jason Chaffetz.
'Imagine being a 22-year-old student, who's graduating with a degree in aerospace engineering, and a frog from The Muppets is telling you to stay connected with your people.'
She was not only upset with what Kermit had to say, but the fact that he was chosen to speak at the ceremony to begin with.
'Instead of honoring entrepreneurs or veterans or innovators, they picked Kermit the Frog,' Gaines added.
'We have students who are drowning in debt, who are struggling to find jobs, and universities are handing the mic to puppets.'
Some people on social media share Gaines' sentiment, with one X user writing: 'Just wondering who the idiots were that made the choice to hire Kermit the Frog as a commencement speaker at the University of Maryland.
Another man said: 'Imagine going to college for 4-5 years and at your graduation the commencement speaker is Kermit the Frog? I would be in there laughing the whole time.'
'Having Kermit the Frog speak at the University of Maryland graduation appears to indicate that the University leaders do not take the students seriously,' one woman agreed.
But not everyone was infuriated by what Kermit - voiced by puppeteer Matt Vogel - told the graduates.
One user asked: 'Do you know how f**king psyched I would've been to have KERMIT THE GRO as my commencement speaker?'
'I'm sorry but it would be AMAZING to have Kermit the Frog as commencement speaker,' someone wrote, directly responding to Gaines' commentary.
Photos from the commencement show smiling students, seemingly thrilled with Kermit offering up some parting advice.
The famous puppet has become a symbol on campus, with a bronze statue of Kermit chatting with Henson being placed in the garden in 2003 to permanently commemorate the pair.
University President Darryll J. Pines announced Kermit would be the graduation's main speaker back in March.
'This incredible speaker honors the long history between the University of Maryland and Muppets creator Jim Henson, who graduated from UMD in 1960,' he wrote to students.
'A home economics major with an eye for innovation, Henson created Kermit using one of his mother's coats and a ping-pong ball cut in half.
'From those humble beginnings, Kermit has gone on to become one of the world's most beloved and enduring cultural icons - all while sharing a message of optimism and believing in yourself.'
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