Outspoken conservative comedian Rob Schneider has shared a remarkable story of how he disarmed an angry Robert De Niro during a political confrontation by simply telling the Hollywood legend 'I love you'. The 62-year-old actor recounted the hostile encounter during a Turning Point USA event at UC Berkeley on Monday, where he urged fellow conservatives not to fall victim to cancel culture.
The Tense Encounter That Almost Turned Ugly
Schneider recalled being accidentally pushed into De Niro at an event years ago, which immediately sparked tension due to their starkly differing political beliefs. The situation escalated when De Niro rounded on him over his allegiance to Donald Trump, barking: 'Schneider, how could you support that schmuck?'
Rather than responding with anger or engaging in a political argument, Schneider took an unexpected approach. 'I looked right at him and said, "I love you. I love you",' he remembered. The response had an immediate effect, with De Niro instantly stopping his angry tirade. The actor 'looked right at me and went, "Okay, okay"', Schneider told the audience.
A New Approach to Political Division
Schneider presented this anecdote as a blueprint for how conservatives should handle political tensions in today's polarized climate. 'That's the only way to handle this,' he continued. 'We're never going to be able to out-cancel the cancel culture. They're better at it than us. It's gotta be through love.'
His appearance at the Turning Point USA event came amid significant turmoil on campus. Before Schneider took the stage, protesters descended on the campus attempting to disrupt his address. The situation turned violent as demonstrators clashed with police, who eventually deployed tear gas on protesters outside the event.
In a subsequent appearance on Fox and Friends on Wednesday, Schneider expressed dismay at the demonstrators' actions. 'These people, preventing people from talking and preventing people from getting in, these were the "anti-fascists",' he said. 'The Turning Point USA students from Berkeley wanting to have peaceful discourse, peaceful debate, conversations, talking about how much they love God, family and country... these people were called the fascists. Who are the real fascists there?'
Chaos and Aftermath
The violence outside the auditorium where Schneider spoke was captured across social media, showing demonstrators violently clashing with police and security, leaving one man bloodied. The melee resulted in two arrests and transformed what had been billed as a solemn conclusion to TPUSA's 'This Is The Turning Point' tour into a volatile street battle.
As hundreds of Kirk supporters lined up outside the venue, protesters gathered nearby, some wearing keffiyehs and black clothing, many chanting 'No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA'. Others hurled obscene taunts aimed directly at the conservative crowd, shouting 'antisemites, go home' and 'f*** your dead homie' in reference to Kirk.
Schneider, who has become an increasingly outspoken conservative in recent years, emphasized that his approach with De Niro should serve as an example to students for calming tensions and encouraging debate. 'We have to meet them in some other way than just with the same kind of anger,' he advised. 'When you come from a place of love and brotherhood... it doesn't advance to that next ugly place.'
