Julia Louis-Dreyfus is doubling down on her recent comments about political correctness and comedy, directly contradicting her longtime friend and collaborator Jerry Seinfeld’s controversial take.
In a new interview on the On With Kara Swisher podcast, Louis-Dreyfus said the idea that comedy has somehow suffered because of political correctness is “bullshit.” Without addressing Seinfeld’s points specifically, the Veep star alluded to the discourse he enflamed by saying saying the idea that “comics can’t be funny now” is “bullshit.”
Louis-Dreyfus’ comments come after Seinfeld’s April interview with The New Yorker, during which he said there’s no “funny stuff” to watch on TV anymore as a “result of the extreme left and P.C. crap, and people worrying so much about offending other people.” According to Seinfeld, people would rather “see standup comics because we are not policed by anyone.” Louis-Dreyfus first gave her contradicting take in her June NYT profile, where she said, “I think to have an antenna about sensitivities is not a bad thing.”
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She then added, “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.” And it certainly seemed that something else was at work, whether from Seinfeld’s end or from the right, many of whom were excited to hear the comedy star echo one of their most frequent political talking points.
Louis-Dreyfus is still pushing back this week, telling host Kara Swisher, “It’s a ripe time [for comedy]. Comedy is risky and it can be offensive, but that’s what makes it so enjoyable.” She added, “I personally don’t buy the conceit that this is an impossible time to be funny,” she continued, “Maybe some people aren’t laughing at your jokes, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be made.”
All that said, while Louis-Dreyfus may be standing her ground in opposing Seinfeld’s views, their friendship seems not to have suffered as a result. Just last week, in an appearance in Seth Meyers’ “Day-Drinking” segment, Louis-Dreyfus shared that between Seinfeld and Larry David, Seinfeld would be the friend she’d call if she’d gotten arrested—or needed to choose an outfit for the Emmys.
For more, listen to Julia Louis-Dreyfus on The Last Laugh podcast.
