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Steve Carell Just Turned A Graduation Into a Dance Party

Steve Carell isn’t just the king of comedy—he might also be the king of commencement speeches.

The Office and Four Seasons star delivered the keynote at Northwestern University’s graduation ceremony on June 16 and didn’t just stick to the usual advice-and-applause routine. At one point, the United Center transformed into a full-on dance party when The Ting Tings’ “That’s Not My Name” blasted through the speakers and Carell started busting out moves onstage.

He wasn’t alone. School of Communication Dean E. Patrick Johnson joined in, and soon Carell was dancing down the stage stairs and into the crowd of cheering grads. Northwestern’s Instagram summed it up best: “Turned the United Center into Cafe Disco.”

But the celebration wasn’t just about dancing. Carell used his speech to focus on something more reflective: kindness.

“Kindness isn’t a weakness. It is a very potent strength,” he said. “I embody a base line human decency, which, I believe, should not be celebrated, but expected. Everyone should be at very least, ‘pretty nice.’”

Carell received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree during the ceremony, but it wasn’t his first connection to the school. While he didn’t attend Northwestern, he took part in the university’s summer theater program for high school students.

“I was a ‘Cherub’ in the Northwestern Summer High School Institute for Theatre,” he told the crowd. “It was there that I was first introduced to improvisation, when several Northwestern students gave us a master class. That inspired me to later move to Chicago and to pursue a career at The Second City.”

He emphasized the power of listening—something he learned through improv. “An improv scene goes nowhere unless everyone listens to one another. The best way to see and understand another human being is to listen to them. To listen is to show respect.”

Carell’s connection to the school also runs through his family. His daughter, Annie, graduated from Northwestern in 2023, and his son Johnny is currently in the class of 2026.

The combination of heartfelt wisdom, humor, and a surprise dance break made Carell’s speech a hit with students and fans alike. As Northwestern put it, the night was “complete with a mid-speech dance break”—and a whole lot of joy.

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