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Jerry talks about Roseanne, Louis CK, and tense times in comedy
In some ways, the world of Jerry Seinfeld is the same as it ever was. He’s still the singularly recognisable standup, the star and co-creator of his eponymous TV sitcom and the host of a web talk show, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. At 64, he is still playing dozens of live dates a year and, on Friday, will announce the return of his residency at the Beacon Theater, New York (USA), with 20 new shows in 2019.
But the comedy world that Seinfeld inhabits is in a tumultuous period. While some performers feel uneasy about what they can or can’t say onstage, several prominent stars have been disgraced by scandals of their own making.
“I was saying to an audience recently, ‘Why do you even come out here for this? I guess, you just like to see somebody sweat.’ Chris Rock gave me a theory that in the old days, when you’d go see (musicians) Neil Young or Jimi Hendrix, you saw the whole artist. Now, most music artists, their talent is just a component of what they’re making. But with a comedian, you’re still getting the whole artist — the writer, the director, the presenter. All their talent is on display in one package; that’s intense. It’s why stand-up is still so popular,” he says.
Bill Cosby, once one of Seinfeld’s creative heroes, was convicted of sexual assault in April and sentenced to prison in September. Actor-comedian Roseanne Barr had her resuscitated sitcom cancelled in May after she posted a racist tweet. Louis CK, who last year admitted to acts of sexual misconduct, has resumed performing in clubs again, prompting an outcry from some audience members and rebukes from fellow comics.
“So, there’s a bit of anxiety, with Cosby and Louis and Roseanne. The thing about being in comedy is ‘we hate you, get off the stage’ is what we’re used to. Every comedian has that as part of their life. Getting booed, yelled at, hated. You almost don’t notice it. You either have the skin for it or you don’t,” he adds.
These are complicated issues that Seinfeld knows he can’t avoid, given his standing in the industry, and that he is still thinking through and processing in real time. On Wednesday, he spoke about the current cultural moment, which he said felt necessary. “We’re figuring it out as we go along. There’s something very stimulating and empowering about that. We don’t really know what the rules are.”