Kermit the Frog Will Deliver UMD Commencement Speech

Kermit the Frog may become the first-ever amphibian to give a commencement speech when he takes the podium at the University of Maryland’s graduation this May.

The institution announced the selection of the famous felt frog in a video on Wednesday that dubbed him an “environmental advocate, best-selling author, Peabody Award winner” and “international superstar.”

Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets, who voiced Kermit until his death in 1990, graduated from UMD, and there is a statue of him and Kermit outside the campus’s student union. Kermit previously visited UMD in fall 2024 as part of the College of Arts and Humanities Dean’s Lecture Series.

“I am thrilled that our graduates and their families will experience the optimism and insight of the world-renowned Kermit the Frog at such a meaningful time in their lives,” said the institution’s president, Darryll J. Pines, in a news release. “Our pride in Jim Henson knows no bounds, and it is an honor to welcome Kermit the Frog to our campus, 65 years after Mr. Henson graduated from the University of Maryland. I sincerely thank the Muppets Studio, Disney and their creative teams for making this possible.”