Elaine and Jerry aren’t seeing eye-to-eye on this one. In a new profile for The New York Times, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is speaking out against recent comments made by her Seinfeld co-star, Jerry Seinfeld.
During the profile, Louis-Dreyfus is asked about Seinfeld slamming “the extreme left and PC crap,” and the impact it has had on comedy.
“If you look back on comedy and drama both, let’s say 30 years ago, through the lens of today, you might find bits and pieces that don’t age well,” Louis-Dreyfus shared in response to the interviewer asking her about Seinfeld’s comments. “And I think to have an antenna about sensitivities is not a bad thing. It doesn’t mean that all comedy goes out the window as a result. When I hear people starting to complain about political correctness — and I understand why people might push back on it — but to me that’s a red flag, because it sometimes means something else. I believe being aware of certain sensitivities is not a bad thing. I don’t know how else to say it.”
Louis-Dreyfus, who played the wacky and confident Elaine Benes on the hit comedy from 1990 to 1998, also opened up about “political correctness” in comedy.
“My feeling about all of it is that political correctness, insofar as it equates to tolerance, is obviously fantastic,” she shared. “And of course I reserve the right to boo anyone who says anything that offends me, while also respecting their right to free speech, right? But the bigger problem — and I think the true threat to art and the creation of after — is the consolidation of money and power.”
The Veep star said she “can’t judge” whether comedy is better as a result of the changing landscape, but noted that artists create today through “a different lens.”
She added that Seinfeld likely couldn’t be made today.
“When Seinfeld was made, it was really unlike anything that was on at the time,” Louis-Dreyfus explained. “It was just a bunch of losers hanging out. So I would say one main reason it wouldn’t be made now is because it’s hard to get anything different recognized.”
Back in April, Seinfeld spoke on the New Yorker Radio Hour about the lack of comedies on TV today, citing “the extreme left and PC crap, and people worrying so much about offending other people.”
He added that many of his hit show’s storylines wouldn’t be allowed today.
“We did an episode of the series in the ’90s where Kramer decides to start a business of having homeless pull rickshaws because, as he says, they’re outside anyway,” Seinfeld shared. “Do you think I could get that episode on the air today?”
The two comedians starred on Seinfeld together for nine seasons alongside Jason Alexander as George Costanza and Michael Richards as Cosmo Kramer.
Back in May 2023, Louis-Dreyfus opened up to People about her heartbreak over the show, which was created by Seinfeld and Larry David, ending in the late ’90s.
“There was a real grief period when the show ended that was real and felt,” she told the outlet. “Because we all loved each other so much.”
For his part, Seinfeld previously praised Louis-Dreyfus’ performance as Elaine to ET.
“I always felt like she was the diamond, she was the sparkle of the show that really made it the right chemistry — the right formula,” he told ET in 2018. “You know, I really don’t think the show would have been successful without her.”
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