Jerry Seinfeld is now doing a bit of a shuffle to walk back his own controversial comments about political correctness and comedy. In a twist, and perhaps a sign of societal awakening, the comedian has distanced himself from his prior assertions that the “extreme left” was threatening the humor industry with an iron grip of political correctness. Now, it seems Seinfeld views these cultural shifts not as restrictions but as natural progressions within the art form.
During a recent podcast appearance, the Seinfeld and Bee Movie star walked back claims he made earlier this year about political correctness ruining the comedy landscape. “I did an interview with The New Yorker, and I said that the extreme left has suppressed the art of comedy,” Seinfeld told Tom Papa on the latest episode of Breaking Bread. “I did say that. That’s not true. It’s not true.” Seinfeld owned up to his previous hot takes made during an interview with The New Yorker. He labeled these statements as unjust and opted to retract them, noting, “I have to take back.”
Seinfeld was referring to an April interview with The New Yorker Radio Hour Podcast, wherein he explained why he thought stand-up comedy is more popular than network sitcoms nowadays. “This is the result of the extreme left, and PC crap, and people worrying so much about offending other people,” he said at the time. “Now, they’re going to see stand-up comics, because we are not policed by anyone. The audience polices us. We know when we’re off-track, we know instantly and we adjust to it. But when you write a script and it goes into four or five different hands, committees, groups, there goes your comedy.”
But the comedian disavowed those comments while speaking with Papa. “If you’re Lindsey Vonn, if you’re a champion skier, you can put the gates anywhere you want on the mountain. She’s going to make the gate. That’s comedy,” Seinfeld explained. “Whatever the culture is, we make the gate. You don’t make the gate, you’re out of the game. The game is, where is the gate? How do I make the gate and get down the hill the way I want to?”
He continued, “Does culture change and are there things I used to say that I can’t say that everybody is always moving? Yeah, but that’s the biggest, easiest target. You can’t say certain words, you know, whatever they are, about groups — so what?” Seinfeld added that he “did not know that people care what comedians say.” The Unfrosted director noted that he hadn’t been holding his tongue as he promoted his Pop-Tarts movie because he didn’t think anyone was listening. “This was all press I was doing for Unfrosted — I did a bunch of it and I enjoyed all of it,” he said. “I did not know that people care what comedians say. That literally came as news to me. Who the hell cares what a comedian thinks about anything? So the fun thing about being a comedian, I thought, ‘Say whatever the hell you want. No one’s listening, no one cares. And if it gets a laugh, you get to do another set tomorrow night.'”
Seinfeld also touched upon the topic of toxic masculinity, acknowledging how it has affected the way humor is perceived. “The toxic masculinity thing—it’s real,” he admitted. “You can’t be oblivious to how some of the old jokes don’t sit well anymore. And that’s okay. It’s just part of evolving.” Seinfeld clarified his comments about masculinity from the same time period. “I miss a dominant masculinity. Yeah, I get the toxic, I get it, I get it. But still, I like a real man,” he told Bari Weiss on her show Honestly in May. “That was another thing I said, that I missed dominant masculinity, which is probably not the greatest phrase for what I was really saying was I miss big personalities,” he clarified to Papa. “That’s what I missed, and I mentioned Muhammad Ali and Sean Connery and Howard Cosell. You know. I mean, because these were all the people I wanted to be like as a kid. I wanted to be, I wanted to have that kind of authority and style. It was really a style thing.”
Seinfeld said he does miss more bold, individualistic figures dominating pop culture. “Everyone conforms more to not offend. I miss George C. Scott,” he lamented. “I miss these gigantic personalities, just because I thought it was a great flavor in my youth. That made a headline the next day that I was calling for a toxic masculinity to come back, which obviously, we don’t need the toxic part, but the big personalities are fun.”
His reflections remind one of his own fictional character’s musings in Seinfeld. As he once put it, “I think people—they like the idea of the joke, but they’re not always comfortable with the joke itself.” The changing nature of humor isn’t too different from the show’s signature observational humor. Remember the time Jerry complained, “I’m not a big fan of the work. I spend many hours convincing myself to go, trying to figure out if I can get out of it”? Adjusting to evolving norms is just another challenge that requires a similar begrudging willingness to embrace change.
Historically, Seinfeld had spoken candidly about the decline of network sitcoms and attributed some of these downfalls to the rise of political correctness. He argued that stand-up comedians fortunately enjoy more latitude. “A show about nothing” was the comedic freedom Seinfeld thrived on, allowing it to tackle even mundane events with an audacious spin. However, in his revisited view, the shift is not about stifling creative freedom but accommodating changing tastes and expectations. By simplifying the approach, Seinfeld proposes that steering clear of certain words is a minuscule challenge in the broader comedy landscape.
“It’s like Newman,” Seinfeld quipped in the discussion, referencing his sitcom nemesis. “You have to adapt to your Newmans out there. You don’t need to fight them all; you just need to find a way to make it work.” His enlightened perspective could very well serve as a mirror for the entire community of comedians, often caught at the crossroads of tradition and progression. So, rather than lamenting what can no longer be said, the focus could better be placed on what fresh realms of humor can be explored under new societal norms.
Closing Credits
As we journey through the ever-changing societal landscape, Jerry Seinfeld’s recent narrative course correction reminds us of the importance of adaptability in comedy and beyond. In acknowledging these ongoing cultural transformations, he sets a robust example, demonstrating that comedy, at its core, is unwavering in its quest to reflect the zeitgeist. As he put it in the show: “The best revenge is living well.” Future proclamations from Seinfeld could very well shape the comedy scene and its engagement with cultural dynamics.
