Kermit the Frog tells University of Maryland graduates to ‘leap together’ during commencement address
Kermit the Frog speaks during University of Maryland's commencement ceremony on May 22 in College Park
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
(CNN) — It’s not easy being green, but it sure does make you popular.
Kermit the Frog was the commencement speaker Thursday for the Class of 2025 at the University of Maryland, where his creator, Jim Henson, was a student decades agao.
Henson, who was the creator of The Muppets, died of toxic shock syndrome in 1990 at the age of 53.
The world’s most famous frog, wearing a Muppet-size cap and gown, thrilled the crowd at the commencement ceremony with his humor.
“As I look out at you students, I can tell you all worked your tails off,” Kermit said in the speech which ABC 7 WJLA news station posted in full on YouTube. “And as a former tadpole, believe me, losing your tail is a pretty big deal.”
Kermit then jumped into his speech, which he said contained “three things that are close to my heart: Finding your people, taking the leap and making connections.”
He also paid tribute to Henson whom he said “in the early days, had a hand in literally everything I did.” He also mentioned Henson’s wife Jane, who also attended University of Maryland and died in 2013 at the age of 79 after a “long battle with cancer.”
After revealing that he is “distant cousins” with the University of Maryland mascot Testudo the turtle, Kermit offered some words of wisdom including that, “Life is not a solo act.”
“It’s a big, messy, delightful ensemble piece, especially when you are with your people,” he said before adding “life is better when we leap together.”
Kermit advised the graduating class that “Life is like a movie. Write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending” before leading them in a sing along of his hit “Rainbow Connection.”
Kermit’s speech comes as some of his muppet friends have been in the news. President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order to end federal funding for PBS and NPR. PBS is the home of “Sesame Street.”
It was recently announced that the beloved children’s series will take up residence on Netflix while continuing to air on PBS.
Kermit spoke to CNN’s Sara Sidner ahead of his big speech and told her “the arts are for everyone.”
The-CNN-Wire
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