Jerry Seinfeld: Wokeness, ‘Extreme Left’ Killing Comedy

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld performs onstage at the Colossal Stage during Colossal Clusterfest
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Jerry Seinfeld, one of the most successful comedians in history, lamented that the “extreme left” has ruined comedy.

Seinfeld said during an appearance on New Yorker’s Radio Hour that people crave the relief and catharsis that comes with genuine comedy, an experience that he feels has dwindled in recent years due to the rise of woke culture.

“Nothing really affects comedy. People always need it. They need it so badly and they don’t get it,” he said.

“It used to be that you’d go home at the end of the day, most people would go, ‘Oh, Cheers is on. Oh, M.A.S.H. is on. Oh, Mary Tyler Moore is on, All in the Family is on.’ You just expected [there will] be some funny stuff we can watch on TV tonight,” he said.

“Well, guess what? Where is it? Where is it? This is the result of the extreme left and P.C. crap and people worrying so much about offending other people,” he added.

Seinfeld said that his industry, stand-up comedy, has been booming due to the freedom comics have on stage.

“Now they’re going to see stand-up comics because they are not policed by anyone. The audience polices us. We know when we’re off track. We know instantly. And we adjust to it instantly,” Seinfeld said. “But when you write a script, and it goes into four or five different hands, committees, groups – ‘Here’s our thought about this joke’ – well, that’s the end of your comedy.”

“With certain comedians now, people are having fun with them stepping over the line, and us all laughing about it,” he added. “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.]”

Seinfeld has been open about his thoughts about political correctness in the past, but this marks the first time he particularly singled out the extreme left for its effect on comedy and culture.

Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thrillerEXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google PlayVimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.

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