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<\/p>\nIn a moment that would have made Michael Scott proud, actor and comedian Steve Carell led Northwestern University graduates in a surprise dance break during his commencement speech Sunday at the United Center. \u201cIt is time now to follow me in the mid-commencement address dance break,\u201d Carell told the more than 2,500 graduates before busting a move to The Ting Tings\u2019 hit \u201cThat\u2019s Not My Name.\u201d Carell boogied with staff behind the podium and then jogged off stage to high-five and celebrate with graduates.<\/p>\n
The brief intermission was reminiscent of \u201cCafe Disco,\u201d a memorable episode of the \u201cThe Office\u201d where Carell\u2019s character Scott sets up a dance party and encourages his employees to join in to de-stress.<\/p>\n
Northwestern University commencement speaker Steve Carell waves to graduates.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was as invigorating as it was disturbing,\u201d Carell quipped after the minute-long break as he tried to catch his breath. \u201cWow, am I out of shape.\u201d But Carell\u2019s speech also blended fun with sincerity. He sent off the graduates with some advice on how to deal with their fears and anxieties as they leave college for the wider world. \u201cRemember the little things, like being kind and that you\u2019re not alone,\u201d Carell said. \u201cTake care of one another. Remember to laugh when you have the opportunity and to cry when necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carell reminded graduates that \u201ckindness isn\u2019t a weakness \u2014 it is a very potent strength.\u201d He encouraged the Class of 2025 to harness their insecurities and channel them into something constructive, saying, \u201cTurn your jealousy into admiration and use it to fuel your ambition in a positive way.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Members of the Northwestern University Class of 2025 toss their mortarboards into the air shortly after their degrees are conferred.<\/p>\n
Carell was also one of four professionals who received an honorary degree for their leadership in their respective fields. Though Carell was on stage this year, in 2023 he was in the audience along with his wife, Nancy, to celebrate their daughter\u2019s graduation from the university. Introduction to Steve Carell’s Commencement Speech In a moment that would have made Michael Scott proud, actor and comedian Steve Carell led Northwestern University graduates in a surprise dance break during his commencement speech Sunday at the United Center. \u201cIt is time now to follow me in the mid-commencement address dance break,\u201d Carell told the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22647,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-22646","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-education"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/5fd1b67\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/8192x4676+0+394\/resize\/1461x834!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F80%2F64%2F364b46404a2bb8ab4264c402bebf%2F2025-commencement-2501.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22646"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22646"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22646\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22648,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22646\/revisions\/22648"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<img class="Image" alt="Actor Steve Carell greets Gov. JB Pritzker after the governor\u2019s commencement address at Northwestern University in 2023. Pritzker\u2019s speech referenced Carell\u2019s hit TV show, \u201cThe Office.\u201d" srcset="https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/b54886d\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1524×974+0+0\/resize\/840×537!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F51%2F22%2F85e675814806bf024a4d1c7bcea9%2Fscreenshot-2025-06-15-at-7-53-27-pm.png<\/a> 1x,https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/edd65db\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1524×974+0+0\/resize\/1680×1074!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F51%2F22%2F85e675814806bf024a4d1c7bcea9%2Fscreenshot-2025-06-15-at-7-53-27-pm.png<\/a> 2x" width="840" height="537" src="https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/b54886d\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1524×974+0+0\/resize\/840×537!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F51%2F22%2F85e675814806bf024a4d1c7bcea9%2Fscreenshot-2025-06-15-at-7-53-27-pm.png<\/a>" data-lazy-load="true" bad-src="data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSI1MzdweCIgd2lkdGg9Ijg0MHB4<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"