21-05-2025
Henry Winkler's Remark About His Georgetown University Speech Goes Viral
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Henry Winkler's comment about his Georgetown University commencement speech has gone viral on social media.
Newsweek reached out to Winkler's representative via email for comment.
The Context
Winkler rose to fame as Arthur Fonzarelli, also known as "Fonzie" or "The Fonz," on the ABC sitcom Happy Days—which ran from 1974 until 1984. The 79-year-old also established himself as a successful children's book author, publishing dozens of stories over the years.
Henry Winkler appears on "The Jennifer Hudson Show" on November 18, 2024 in Burbank, California.
Henry Winkler appears on "The Jennifer Hudson Show" on November 18, 2024 in Burbank, California.
Chris Haston/WBTV via Getty Images
What To Know
On Saturday, Winkler delivered the commencement speech at Georgetown University's College of Arts & Sciences in Washington, D.C.
The Emmy Award winner took to X, formerly Twitter, on Monday to share a clip of his address from Georgetown University's official X account.
"And that's the truth," he said.
In the video, Winkler told students: "All things are possible because I am living proof. Never let your dream out of your brain. And when you decide what it is you want to do, just know it without a doubt. Know it without ambivalence."
He added: "I am so proud of you. I am proud of how you got yourself into these chairs. And I cannot wait to see who you become. This world is yours now. And this world needs fixing. And I pray to the heavens that you are the fixers. I say to you now, go!"
At the time of publication, Winkler's post racked up more than 139,600 views, over 4,800 likes and 283 comments.
And that's the truth — Henry Winkler (@hwinkler4real) May 19, 2025
What People Are Saying
Winkler responded to a handful of remarks underneath his X post.
Sons of Anarchy actor Titus Welliver wrote: "Beautiful Henry!"
In response, Winkler said: "GOOD Morning and Thank you Titus .. best to you."
X user @Judematas3 wrote: "Well said. I love your conviction and passion. We all need this fire inside of us."
Winkler replied: "Thank you!"
@PRMerleF shared: "Fantastic! Great inspiration!" to which the actor added a red heart emoji.
@derow_ken chimed in: "Henry, as @neal_katyal said your commencement address: Amazing speech; amazing person; amazing inspiration. You rocked when you played THE FONZ, and now, in real life so many years later you still ROCK! Peace, Brother!"
Winkler said: "Thank you so much Mr K."
In a separate X comment, lawyer @neal_katyal wrote in a message with 37,700 views and 226 likes: "Amazing speech; amazing person; amazing inspiration."
What Happens Next
On Tuesday, the History Channel announced a new show coming this summer about nostalgia starring Winkler.
Hazardous History With Henry Winkler is about "the things we did for fun, for money, or out of plain boredom that you can't do anymore," a press release from the network read, per Parade.
"There was a time, not long ago, when doctors would recommend smoking, and when we stored our food in toxic refrigerators, and unknowingly played with radioactive toys, flew down slides that ripped our skin off, and decorated our Christmas tree with ornaments made from asbestos. Fast-paced, informative, and a little bit scary, from perilous playgrounds to precarious products, it's a running cavalcade of the most exciting, reckless, unsupervised tales of Americana in our history."
Hazardous History With Henry Winkler airs Sunday, June 15 at 10 p.m. ET on the History Channel.
