Julia Louis-Dreyfus has pushed back at former co-star Jerry Seinfeld’s negative remarks about “political correctness” in comedy, saying that having “an antenna about sensitivities is not a bad thing” and that complaining about political correctness is “a red flag, because it sometimes means something else”.
Louis-Dreyfus was speaking to the New York Times and was asked about Seinfeld’s claim that TV comedy had been wrecked by “the extreme left and PC crap and people worrying so much about offending other people”. Louis-Dreyfus responded by saying: “I think to have an antenna about sensitivities is not a bad thing. It doesn’t mean that all comedy goes out the window as a result.”
She added: “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. I believe being aware of certain sensitivities is not a bad thing. I don’t know how else to say it.”
Louis-Dreyfus spoke to the same journalist 11 days later to clarify her thoughts on the subject, saying: “My feeling about all of it is that political correctness, insofar as it equates to tolerance, is obviously fantastic. And of course I reserve the right to boo anyone who says anything that offends me, while also respecting their right to free speech, right? But the bigger problem – and I think the true threat to art and the creation of art – is the consolidation of money and power.”
However, Louis-Dreyfus defended the idea that it was important to anticipate problematic issues, adding: “Even classically wonderful, indisputably great films from the past are riddled with attitudes that today would not be acceptable. So I think it’s just good to be vigilant.”
In recent weeks Seinfeld, with whom she performed in the successful sitcom between 1990 and 1998, has offered a number of controversial opinions, including saying he missed “dominant masculinity”.