Julia Louis-Dreyfus knows a thing or two about how comedy has evolved since her time on Seinfeld.
While the show's co-creator Jerry Seinfeld spent much of the last two-plus decades making TV appearances and creating a passion talk show project Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Louis-Dreyfus remained a steady presence in the sitcom scene with The New Adventures of Old Christine and Veep.
All that to say, her perspective on the TV comedy landscape carries more weight than someone as clearly out of touch as Seinfeld.
Seinfeld, 70, made waves in April when he placed blame on "the extreme left and PC crap" for the current state of comedy, suggesting people are "worrying so much about offending other people." In May, he bemoaned how a so-called "agreed-upon hierarchy” has been "absolutely vaporized," noting he misses the notion of "a real man.”
Louis-Dreyfus, 63, sees the idea of political correctness in comedy in a different light. For the New York Times Magazine, Lulu Garcia-Navarro said to the 11-time Emmy-winner, "Your former co-star Jerry Seinfeld recently made news for talking about political correctness in comedy."
Asked for her thoughts, Louis-Dreyfus responded, "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."
By being aware of certain sensitivities, Louis-Dreyfus understands that putting anything in TV or film from years past under a microscope can lead to the discovery of jokes and/or plots that simply aged poorly.
"If you look back on comedy and drama both, let's say 30 years ago, through the lens of today, you might find bits and pieces that don't age well," she said. "And 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."
"My feeling about all of it is that political correctness, insofar as it equates to tolerance, is obviously fantastic," the actress added. "And of course I reserve the right to boo anyone who says anything that offends me, while also respecting their right to free speech."
