Why criticise Jerry Seinfeld, always solidly middle-class and sensible?

The last time Jerry Seinfeld caught so much stick was in 2015 when he threw in the towel on comedy appearances at American universities.

Going back to the 1990s, Seinfeld was my favourite sitcom, even though, living in the UK at the time, I had to depend on the vagaries of BBC2’s late night/early morning schedule when the show was supposed to be shown around 12:50 a.m. — and was often replaced by something else. Arrgh!

Returning to the present day, Seinfeld’s recent comedy show for Netflix, Unfrosted, tells the story of the 1960s breakfast sensation, PopTarts. Reviews on both sides of the Atlantic say that it is not very funny. I cannot say, as I do not subscribe to Netflix.

Seinfeld also went back on his resolve on no longer appearing at university venues, having shown up a few days ago at Duke University to deliver the commencement address. He was heckled and booed. A number of students walked out on him.

I do not understand why people object to Jerry Seinfeld as a person. Even when his sitcom swept ratings charts in the United States, most viewers got the impression that he was just a normal, middle-class sort of man. His was always the voice of common sense in the show as his friends temporarily went off the deep end over amusing, everyday situations gone bad.

On Thursday, May 16, 2024, The Telegraph piled in on Seinfeld, reportedly a billionaire with a large collection of motor cars (emphases mine):

American universities have a habit of inviting a celebrity or leading figure in their field to deliver a commencement address to their students as they graduate, and, on paper, few are more distinguished than Seinfeld, one of comedy’s few billionaires whose achievements are unmatched within his field.

Yet, as he was about to deliver his speech, dozens of students simply walked out, booing loudly as they departed. Others remained, but unfurled ‘Free Palestine’ flags, and hurled abuse at the comedian as he delivered his address. Amidst cries of “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest”, Seinfeld – who, one imagines, had seldom had such a vitriolic reaction since his early days on the comedy circuit – delivered a would-be inspirational speech in which he urged his listeners to work hard, listen to those wiser than themselves and find someone to grow old with. 

For Seinfeld, merely showing up is not an option:

“Whatever you’re doing, I don’t care if it’s your job, your hobby, a relationship, getting a reservation at M Sushi, make an effort,” he said. “Just pure, stupid, no-real-idea-what-I’m-doing-here effort. Effort always yields a positive value, even if the outcome of the effort is absolute failure of the desired result. This is a rule of life. Just swing the bat and pray is not a bad approach to a lot of things.”

The students were upset that, as a Jew, Seinfeld stands with Israel. What else would they expect?

In a recent interview, he claimed that “the struggle of being Jewish is somewhat ancient…[there have been] thousands of years of struggle, and Israel is the latest one…antisemitism seems to be rekindling in some areas.” He visited the country at the end of last year, and expressed his support for them in the current situation, telling the Times of Israel that he would “always stand with Israel and the Jewish people”; something guaranteed to infuriate the pro-Palestinian sector of America’s student population. Hence the rather less than welcoming response at Duke, where, ironically, two of Seinfeld’s own children studied …

… In any case, he could hardly have been surprised by the reaction, given that, as far back as 2015, Seinfeld had advised his fellow comics not to perform at university campuses …

Seinfeld has not changed his mind about the comedic dearth English-speaking countries are experiencing:

… in widely reported remarks that he made on the New Yorker Radio Hour podcast, the comedian also declared that the recent downturn in scripted comedy was “the result of the extreme left and PC crap, and people worrying so much about offending other people.”

Warming to his theme, Seinfeld declared that “When you write a script, and it goes into four or five different hands, committee groups – ‘Here’s our thought about this joke’ – well, that’s the end of your comedy.”

He’s only telling the truth, isn’t he?

He says that stand-up comedy affords a certain amount of freedom for the performer:

In the same podcast, Seinfeld said that he felt a degree of freedom in being a stand-up comedian rather than a creator of a show such as his eponymous sitcom. “With certain comedians now, people are having fun with them stepping over the line, and us all laughing about it,” he said. “But again, it’s the stand-ups that really have the freedom to do it because no one else gets the blame if it doesn’t go down well. He or she can take all the blame [themselves].”

The reason I enjoyed Seinfeld so much was that it was as if I were watching four real-life New Yorkers rather than a set of actors playing roles. I also enjoyed creator Larry (Curb Your Enthusiasm) David’s description of it as ‘a show about nothing’:

One of the mantras of the sitcom Seinfeld was “no hugging, no learning”; the characters in it were believably flawed, and stayed that way, and, in contrast to the far more touchy-feely likes of Friends and (eventually) Frasier, there was to be no moment where the show’s protagonists learnt to become better people.

Well, that also portrays an eternal truth about human nature: most people do not change. Change comes with television land. Furthermore, whatever lessons are learned at the end of one week’s show are forgotten by the next. Without those flaws, there is no show — and no comedy.

The Telegraph has a go at Seinfeld’s choices in life which have made him a rich man seeking out obscure comedy clubs to ply his trade. Again, I fail to see what is wrong with that:

… the problem remains that Seinfeld himself now looks hopelessly out of touch, sequestering himself away in vast apartments in Manhattan and mansions in the Hamptons, where he keeps a classic car collection of over 150 vehicles that is said to be worth over £80 million.

In many regards, Seinfeld’s post-sitcom career has been the exact opposite of his near-contemporary Kelsey Grammer, who has struggled to find a role as iconic as that of Frasier Crane. Seinfeld could hardly be described as reclusive, but he has seldom acted in others’ projects, save for self-mocking cameos as himself, and his appearance in Unfrosted is notable for being the first time that he has portrayed another (non-animated) character on-screen in a leading role.

Instead, what seems to drive him is spending his days writing jokes, which he then performs at unassuming comedy clubs: a process detailed in his 2002 documentary Comedian, which was released shortly after his sitcom came to an end in 1998. The film may have one of the funniest trailers ever made, but, perhaps unwittingly, it’s also an acute glimpse into the psyche of a man who wants to have his cake and eat it.

Seinfeld claims to value the cut and thrust of being on stage in front of audiences who treat him the same way as any other performer, but no other performers in such venues have the luxuries of private jets, multiple expensive residences all over the world – complete, if the rumours are accurate, with a $17,000 coffee maker – and well-paid PR staff on hand to flatter his considerable ego at all times.

I do not know how old the author of The Telegraph article is, but those who read about Seinfeld during the years when Seinfeld aired knew that he was always a private person. Furthermore, why would people care about what he does with his money? If he were more left-wing in his views, would The Telegraph suddenly love him? It would seem so.

The article concludes, laying out Jerry Seinfeld’s many — no doubt inherent — middle class characteristics:

One of the reasons why the Duke appearance may have been so upsetting for Seinfeld is that he is, in many regards, identical to the ‘Jerry’ persona that he displayed in his sitcom for over a decade: uptight, misanthropic and cynical. For someone who could, theoretically, been at the top of the A-list, he is a curiously detached presence in the entertainment industry.

He never wanted to be at the top of the A-list, though, and he made that clear in the 1990s. He is being true to himself. I disagree that he is ‘misanthropic and cynical’. As for being ‘uptight’, so are most middle class men and women. We care about hygiene, like Jerry did in the sitcom. We care about fairness and objectivity, ways that Jerry encouraged Elaine and George to adopt rather than navel-gaze.

Fortunately, The Telegraph article states just how successful Seinfeld continues to be, living long past its 1998 expiry date:

That Seinfeld was one of the great comedic innovators, performers and writers of the past half-century cannot be repeated enough. Many of the catchphrases from it – “No soup for you!” “Not that there’s anything wrong with that” – long ago entered the common lexicon and are cited and quoted by TikTok users who were not even born when the show ended.

The man whose sitcom was bought by Netflix for $500 million in 2021 remains big business …

Good for him. He’s done most things right without making his life an open book in the media.

These were his parting words to the Duke graduates:

“I need to tell you as a comedian, do not lose your sense of humour,” Seinfeld said. “You can have no idea at this point in your life how much you’re going to need it to get through …”

That is so true.

Jerry Seinfeld is a true product of the middle class. What is so wrong with that?