Jerry Seinfeld was 鈥渨rong鈥 to blame the 鈥渆xtreme left鈥 for killing comedy.
The 70-year-old star caused a stir earlier this year when he argued TV comedy was in crisis because writers worried too much about 鈥渙ffending other people鈥, but he has now backtracked on his comments and admitted he 鈥渞egrets鈥 what he said.
Appearing on Tom Papa鈥檚 Breaking Bread podcast, he said of his 鈥渨rong鈥 remarks: 鈥淚 said that the 鈥榚xtreme left鈥 has suppressed the art of comedy. I did say that. That鈥檚 not true. It鈥檚 not true.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e a champion skier, you can put the gates anywhere you want on the mountain and you鈥檙e going to make the gate. That鈥檚 comedy. Whatever the culture is, we make the gate. You don鈥檛 make the gate, you鈥檙e out of the game. The game is, 鈥榳here is the gate, how do I make the gate and get down the hill the way I want to?鈥
鈥淒oes culture change? And are there things that I used to say that I can鈥檛 say because people are always moving [the gate]? Yes, but that鈥檚 the biggest, easiest target.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 say certain words, whatever they are, about groups. So what? The accuracy of your observation has to be 100 times finer than that, to just be a comedian 鈥 so I don鈥檛 think, as I said, the 鈥榚xtreme left鈥 has done anything to inhibit the art of comedy. I鈥檓 taking that back now, officially. They have not.鈥
The Seinfeld star insisted it is not his 鈥渂usiness鈥 to be happy or not with the current 鈥渃ulture鈥 of the comedy scene, but he needs to work to stay relevant.
He added: 鈥淚t is not my business to like or not like where the culture is at. It is my business to make the gate, to stay with my skiing analogy.鈥
And Seinfeld denied ever suggesting he didn鈥檛 want to perform at colleges anymore because young people are too politically correct.
He said: 鈥淚 play colleges all the time. I have no problem with kids, performing for them 鈥 I do colleges all the time.鈥
In his original remarks, the veteran comedian warned 鈥渢he extreme left and PC c***鈥 had led to a decline in comedy shows on TV.
He told the New Yorker: 鈥淣othing really affects comedy. People always need it. They need it so badly and they don鈥檛 get it,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t used to be, you would go home at the end of the day, most people would go, 鈥極h, Cheers is on. Oh, M*A*S*H is on. Oh, Mary Tyler Moore... is on. All in the Family is on.鈥 You just expected, 鈥楾here鈥檒l be some funny stuff we can watch on TV tonight.鈥 Well, guess what 鈥 where is it?
鈥淭his is the result of the extreme left and PC c***, and people worrying so much about offending other people 鈥 When you write a script, and it goes into four or five different hands, committees, groups 鈥 鈥楬ere鈥檚 our thought about this joke鈥 鈥 well, that鈥檚 the end of your comedy.鈥
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