Amy Poehler's Hysterical Commencement Speech to Harvard's Class of 2011

By Tracey Harrington McCoy Posted May 26th 2011 06:30PM

'Parks and Recreation' star Amy Poehler gave the commencement address to Harvard University's class of 2011 on Monday--and the speech was poignant, wise and very, very funny.

"I tried to write today's speech the way I wrote everything in college: I stayed up all night, typing on a Canon word processor while listening to Sir Mix A Lot," she admitted.

Poehler shared personal anecdotes and some secrets to her success. And she also asked the graduates to be nicer to their parents: "Would it kill you to be nicer to your parents? They have sacrificed so much for you and all they want is for you to smile and take a picture with your weird cousins. Do that for them. And with less eye-rolling, please."

Watch the full video after the jump.

Tags: Amy Poehler

Comments

(23)

Thursday 26 May

By JEB BUCKINGHAM

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I'll bet she had the graduates and the audience Poehler-ized!

Friday 27 May

By Andrea

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I appreciated that play on words hahaha :)

Saturday 28 May

By nbvwdfhvhgf

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I love this , So does My boyfriend .he is almost 11year older than me .i met him via agegapsin gles.c'om a nice place for seeking age le ss love.which gives you a chance to make your life better and open opportunities for you to meet the attractive young girls and treat you like a king. Maybe you wanna check it out or tell your friends.. Just love it

By l. seidman

Good speech, funny, insightful, and thoughtful and brief, just what a graduation speech should be!!!

By D.P.

Very well delivered speech. Amy has an excellent public speaking voice and a great sense of humor and poise. I have been a fan of hers for a long time.

By egbert

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The girl from BC done good.

By Maddman mikeee

Great speech 2011 You are our future. No go get em because you all are wicked smart!! Congrats Harvard 2011 Graduates!!!!!!

By LORO

She wasn't screaming, pulling her hair, or throwing herself on the floor, so I don't think she was "hysterial." The word is "hilarious".

By joseph

What she said about life is so true. Can't do it alone.

By Belinda

Funny! Motivating! Positive! Informative! Just what our youth need to hear. She's right, you can't succeed without the help of others. God Bless Her & Our American Youth.....

By Just Sayin...

@Coro But they said Russell Brand in "Arthur" was hysterical...oh, gotcha...

By Laney

Hey-ya...hey-ya...hey-ya....alright, alright, alright....and don't forget to tip your waitresses.....love it!!!!

By Sam Lupowitz

Sorry Amy, William & Mary is the oldest American university, "not" Harvard!

By clptak

She's technically correct - William and Mary College, Harvard University. Oldest University. I liked her speech, though.

By Wilson

William and Mary was chartered in 1693. Harvard was founded in 1636. Do the math.

By sam Lupowitz

Wilson, it was a Final Jeopardy question, and the answer was William & Mary. I guess Jeopardy had it wrong.

By Harvard 1636

Sam,

I'm sorry, but you are wrong. I graduated from Boston Latin School, which was founded in 1635 and is the oldest public school in America. Harvard was founded in 1636 as a place for Latin grads to further their education. If that was on Jeopardy, they were wrong...Harvard is the oldest university in America and was founded in 1636.

-BLS Grad and child of Harvard employee

By Ima Paininda-ass

Amy gave a very good speech. she spoke from the heart and said some things that a parent would say, but so much funnier. things like: look someone in the eye when speaking to them; put down your cell phone and have a real conversation; its OK to say please and thank you; you didnt get here alone, you had a lot of help along the way; and you dont know everything in life, ask questions!

By Mary W

I`m not a fan of Amy, but that was a very good speech. I hope these kids paid attention.

By terry

wicked good job blondie

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