Jerry Seinfeld Says Comedy Is Being Destroyed By "The Extreme Left And Politically Correct Crap"

Renowned for his iconic NBC sitcom "Seinfeld," which ran from 1989 to 1998, Seinfeld, 70, argued that the era of viewers eagerly tuning in to their favorite sitcoms has waned, with audiences now gravitating towards stand-up comedy for its unfiltered authenticity.

Seinfeld reminisced with The New Yorker about a time when television was synonymous with laughter, recalling how people loved shows like "Cheers," "MASH," "Mary Tyler Moore," and "All in the Family" for their nightly dose of humor. However, thanks to the current political landscape, comedy has been throttled by nonsensical rules from leftists regarding what's acceptable or offensive.

“Nothing really affects comedy," he explained. "People always need it. They need it so badly and they don’t get it,” Seinfeld said. “It used to be, you would go home at the end of the day, most people would go, ‘Oh, “Cheers” is on. Oh, “MASH” is on. Oh, “Mary Tyler Moore” is on. “All in the Family” is on.’ You just expected, ‘There’ll be some funny stuff we can watch on TV tonight.’ Well, guess what—where is it? This is the result of the extreme left and P.C. crap, and people worrying so much about offending other people.”

Seinfeld added that stand-up comedians now enjoy unparalleled freedom to push boundaries and keep audiences laughing because they are only answerable to their audience rather than network executives or committees. He also highlighted the difference in creative freedom between stand-up and scripted television, citing an episode from his own show, "Seinfeld," which he doubts could be aired today due to shifting cultural sensitivities.

"We did an episode of the [‘Seinfeld’] in the nineties where Kramer decides to start a business of having homeless people pull rickshaws because, as he says, ‘They’re outside anyway,'” he continued. “Do you think I could get that episode on the air today? We would write a different joke with Kramer and the rickshaw today. We wouldn’t do that joke. We’d come up with another joke. They move the gates like in the slalom. Culture—the gates are moving. Your job is to be agile and clever enough that, wherever they put the gates, I’m going to make the gate.”

With his upcoming Netflix movie, "Unfrosted," set to premiere in May, Seinfeld has been vocal about his disillusionment with the film industry, declaring that "the movie business is over" in a recent interview with GQ Magazine.

“Film doesn’t occupy the pinnacle in the social, cultural hierarchy that it did for most of our lives,” he said. “When a movie came out, if it was good, we all went to see it. We all discussed it. We quoted lines and scenes we liked. Now we’re walking through a fire hose of water, just trying to see.”

When the GQ interviewer asked what has replaced film, Seinfeld answered, “Depression? Malaise? I would say confusion. Disorientation replaced the movie business,” Seinfeld answered. “Everyone I know in show business, every day, is going, ‘What’s going on? How do you do this? What are we supposed to do now?’”

Still, despite his critiques of the entertainment industry, Seinfeld remains steadfast in his belief in the enduring appeal of stand-up comedy. Drawing a metaphor between stand-up and craftsmanship, he likened comedians to skilled artisans whose craft withstands the test of time.

"...If you have good craft and craftsmanship, you’re kind of impervious to the whims of the industry. Audiences are now flocking to stand-up because it’s something you can’t fake. It’s like platform diving. You could say you’re a platform diver, but in two seconds we can see if you are or you aren’t. That’s what people like about stand-up. They can trust it. Everything else is fake."

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