Julia Louis-Dreyfus doesn’t seem to share Jerry Seinfeld’s concerns about political correctness in comedy.
In an interview published in The New York Times on Saturday, the Emmy Award-winning actress, 63, said political correctness is “great” after her former “Seinfeld” co-star claimed comedy was being marred by “that political correctness crap.”
“When I hear people start complaining about political correctness, I understand people are going to be rebellious about it, but to me it’s a red flag because sometimes it can mean something else,” she said. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing to be aware of certain sensitivities. I don’t know how else to put it.”
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Louis-Dreyfus, who played Elaine Benes on “Seinfeld” from 1990 to 1998, told The New York Times that while some comedies from 30 years ago may be outdated, there’s nothing wrong with having an “antenna for sensitivities” and that “it doesn’t ruin all comedy.”
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The New York Times called Louis-Dreyfus again 11 days later for a follow-up conversation in which she elaborated on her thoughts on political correctness.
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“My feeling about all of this is that political correctness is obviously fine as long as it equates to tolerance,” she said. “And of course, I reserve the right to boo anyone whose words offend me, while still respecting their right to free speech, right?”
The “Veep” star added that it’s “good to be vigilant” because “even classically great, indisputably great movies of the past are filled with attitudes that just wouldn’t be acceptable today.”
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Louis-Dreyfus was asked to weigh in on the topic after Seinfeld attracted attention for his comments about political correctness.
On “The New Yorker Radio Hour” in April, Seinfeld argued that “the far left, politically correct trash, and people who are too concerned about offending others” are to blame for the fact that there aren’t as many comedy shows on TV as there used to be. He also suggested that some of “Seinfeld’s” storylines would now be unacceptable.
“We did an episode of this series in the ’90s where Kramer decides to start a rickshaw business for the homeless, because, he said, they’re just going to be out there anyway,” the “Seinfeld” co-creator said. “Do you think we could air that episode today?”
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But Seinfeld told The New Yorker that it’s a comedian’s job to navigate this, noting that today he would “write a different joke about Kramer and the rickshaw.” “I’d come up with another joke,” he said.
Some have disputed Seinfeld’s claims, pointing out that “Veep,” the HBO series directed by Louis-Dreyfus that aired from 2012 to 2019 to critical acclaim and won awards, aired many offensive jokes. Others have also pointed out that “Curb Your Enthusiasm” was able to joke about sensitive subjects with impunity, but Seinfeld argued to The New Yorker that creator Larry David was “the exception” and therefore didn’t have to “follow the rule.”
In 2015, Seinfeld similarly said on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” that “there’s some stuff out there that’s creepy and politically correct, and it really bothers me.”
In an interview with The New York Times, Louis-Dreyfus said “Seinfeld” “probably couldn’t be made today” because of how unique it is.
“It was so different to what was on the air back then,” she says, “it was just a bunch of underdogs. So I think one of the main reasons they don’t make them now is because it’s hard to get recognition for something different. Especially nowadays, it feels like people are scared away.”
