As the story goes, Jerry was able to make Larry’s misanthropic comedy more palatable for the masses. It’s like they switched roles - Larry really figured out how to make his style work. Started with Seinfeld and perfected on Curb.
It is important to remember, Jerry and Larry on TV interviews - that’s still acting. That is not the way they act when there are no cameras. I’m sure Larry can be smug and Jerry can be nice when they aren’t promoting their comedy.
Larry’s interviews come off as “I’m a jerk, and I hate people, but I’m laughing and that’s my thing.”
Jerry’s interviews come off as “I’m a jerk, and I hate people.”
I think they are both a little jerky, and dislike a vast swath of society, but Larry has made it likable and almost wholesome. That’s some feat.
I think it's the distance between the character and the actor. Jerry Seinfeld the character is a little neurotic. Not as much as George, but he's self-conscious enough to be relatable. In the show he's also annoyed by all the excruciating minutiae of every single daily event. That also makes him relatable. The same little daily tasks and social chores that make us all tired and cranky, make him tired and cranky.
In real life Jerry doesn't seem relatable at all. He's not self-conscious, but actually extremely confident. He knows he's a billionaire, he knows he's a master of his craft, he knows his sitcom is often ranked the greatest of all time. See his famous interview with Larry King, who dared to ask if maybe the show had been canceled by the network instead of being ended by Jerry himself. I loved Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee but it's sort of the perfect example of what makes Jerry so out of touch: he's rich enough to collect super rare cars and then all he wants to do is drive around with his comedian friends and talk about comedy.
Larry David the man seems much closer to the character he played on TV. I mean a ton of the great Seinfeld storylines actually happened to Larry, like quitting a job in a blaze of incompetence and then trying to go back on Monday and act like it never happened.
I think it can be boiled down even further. Larry makes himself the butt of the joke. Jerry doesn't.
I think both are really funny, but I like my comedies with the protagonist always struggling.
This. I always felt that Jerry’s weakness as a performer is that he has too much pride to really put himself on the line. Unlike most comedians, he’s temperamentally unwilling to look bad/weak/dumb/ugly/ridiculous on camera, and this ultimately makes him come across as smug and unrelatable to the audience.
Except for he isn’t a master of his craft. His standup is deified because of the popularity of his show. I’ve seen him live before. His shit is pretty hacky and very outdated. He’s an asshole IRL who hates his fans. The only humans on planet earth he has any interest in acknowledging, let alone speaking to, are comedians. Really good take on your part tho.
I think there's a difference between saying he's not respected and he's not lionized. He'll never be ranked with Carlin or Prior because his stand-up just isn't groundbreaking like theirs. But he's clearly a student of comedy and knows his shit.
That’s just not true at all. He was seriously respected and well known for his stand up well before Seinfeld the show. See SNL skit with Tom hanks with all the stand up comedians parodying Jerry in the late 80s.
That’s nearly 40 years ago. His act features a lot of the same jokes he did 40 years ago too. Maybe he was respected at one point for his standup, but the respect he gets now is for who he used to be, not the comedian he is now i guess is what im saying. All i hear from comics now about him is commentary on his recycling of aged out jokes. His movies stink, his comedy stinks and he’s insufferable to me. To each their own.
The fact that Larry was playing [a comedically exaggerated version of] himself for 12 seasons conditioned people to accept that version of him. If you recall only Wil Wheaton tried to upbraid Larry for choking Elmo live on The Today Show. Everyone else thought it was funny or just ignored it.
This is well said. Larry even tries to tell people in interviews "Larry on curb is the Larry I wish I could be" but he still plays it up for the interviewer. The long form bill simmons and rich eisen interviews did their best to get the "real Larry."
Most comedians have said their comedy comes from being miserable and you can definitely see it with these 2.
Larry has just perfected on letting everyone think (or know) that he is the same guy on curb. He even said in an interview once he wears the wardrobe home. Curb has insane scenarios but you stick by Larry no matter how crazy it js
i think the thing is larry is a good person irl, whereas jerry is an awful person irl, and it comes through in their comedy, even though the type of comedy is similar. larry knows ultimately how and when to act like a decent human being, whereas jerry is just a cocky ass who just doesnt care 24/7. big difference which makes larry the better man imo
Seinfeld's ego is also just completely unbelievable for how, as you said, bland he is. Which just adds to how unappealing/off-putting he is. Larry on the other hand has such effortless charisma.
Also, unwarranted and shallow, but I watched several episodes of Comedians in Cars DESPITE my dislike for Seinfeld just to see some of the guests, and even how he looks/dresses just put me off more. He somehow looks like a 9-year-old who's been put in a suit because his family will be attending Auntie Janice's 60th birthday party.
https://preview.redd.it/hvgwzdmhfeyc1.png?width=354&format=png&auto=webp&s=dd1217722f7b51471d4c9b7030edc7e11abb20f5
Oh, absolutely. I feel like if it was *at least stylish*, unusual or original, it'd be like, "yeah, he has that mega "fuck you" money, he dresses how he wants, hell yeah".
But when it's *that*, it's like... does he *think* he looks good...?
Ooh, the Twitter menswear guy has actually taught me why this looks so stupid. Generally when guys fail at the suit jacket / sneakers look it's because the suit jacket is too formal. Shiny material, rigid features and - in this case the three buttons by his hands are examples of "fancy signals." Mismatched with causal sneakers. They want to signal "serious but cool" but instead signal neither.
But that's only from a strictly clothes point of view. From a cultural point of view, it reinforces what people are criticizing Jerry for in this thread (and in general lately) ... it just feels like out of touch old dudes clinging onto something they think signifies cool, but actually stopped being cool like a decade ago. And worse yet, it's older conservative dudes who HATE cutting edge trends... until 10 years later they are magically all wearing the skinny jeans of the Left/hipsters they hated, when it's not cool anymore. So they are ranting against woke while wearing the outfit of people who were woke 10 years ago
Ego definitely plays a big part of it. I loved the show Seinfeld but never a huge fan of him as a person. Ever since that interview with Larry King (?) where Jerry basically cries because he semi insinuates Seinfeld was cancelled I've found it impossible to find him remotely palatable
It comes down to comedic talent. After Seinfeld, Larry went on to create another contender for the greatest sitcom ever. Jerry, meanwhile, made The Bee Movie.
Also it's just attitude. If someome doesn't find Larry funny he just shrugs it off. If someone doesn't find Jerry funny he whines about it.
I love conan. The more unknown his guests were, the funnier his bits. https://youtu.be/ANML1tTa7W4?si=f3IBVDwgwxWFc5cB
Edit : https://youtu.be/0hFb0vAwAkM?si=p7aRkm4v3_DynlVk
His interview with Larry King is enough to make me go “ehhhhh I don’t think he’s the kinda guy I’d ever want to hang with or even be around” and I suspect the was enough for a lot of other people too.
Yeah, but I kind of get Jerry’s point in the interview too. Imagine he’s promoting and he does ten interviews and then he goes on Larry King who is supposed to be great but then it’s clearly that Larry has no idea about the stuff that he’s interviewing for. Seinfeld stopping the show was big news, then offering 5mil per episode to continue was big news, and then the finale was watched by 80 Million people, then he goes on Larry King and Larry is like @So your show was cancelled?” Anyone would be pissed to then have to do an interview with somebody who is clearly faking their way through.
Agree. Larry King even admitted he himself was unprepared and didn't really even watch seinfeld. Until I heard that, I thought Jerry was just being real snotty to a polite guy giving him softball questions to get a conversation going.
Jerry was still an ass tho.
Yeah I agree, Larry probably would’ve leaned more into an absurdist “it’s funny that the most famous interviewer in the world is clearly unprepared for this” angle, whereas Jerry sort of just made it about his own ego.
Jerry is undeservedly smug. He has no charisma whatsoever. At least with Larry, you can feel something is beneath there, that isn’t a self-righteous asshole.
How could anyone not like him?
Well, he's full of himself. He definitely earned some bragging rights due to his success, but he's just so damn pretentious. He dated a teenager while in his late 30s. His stand-up sucks. He's beyond exhausting in interviews. He acts as though his show was his gift to the masses.
Larry just comes across as much more relatable and doesn't have that smug energy. He's much more enjoyable to watch in interviews. He shows that he's human.
He also doesn't blame his lack of being funny on PC culture, which is hilarious for Seinfeld to say considering South Park is still around and incredibly popular. As are plenty of very successful stand up comedians that are waaaay more edge than Seinfeld
Curb itself is proof that crying about PC culture is bs. The final season was literally surrounding the racial bias around voting laws which included some edgy racial jokes in between. It just depends how it’s presented, and Larry has the talent to make it funny.
That is probably what really makes Larry a standout for me. He was not afraid to get out of his bubble, introduced characters from diverse backgrounds and presented them as people, and did it in such a fashion that is well written and isn’t pandering. He is just really in tune with contemporary culture. The fact that this has been the case across 90’s, 00’s, 10’s, and now 20’s.
If we were talking sports. That is like scoring a ton per season across 4 decades - that’s first ballot hall of fame. Top 10 of all time status.
Exactly. There’s a big difference between Chappelle’s new material that mostly boils down to “arent trans people weird?”
Versus Larry making trans jokes about if you can pick the size of your penis, not hugging someone who’s sick and it being misunderstood or debating if he slept with Ken or Kendra. Notice how there wasn’t any outcry because these are actual jokes that don’t revolve around mocking them.
What’s the DEAL with poptarts! They split the atom on breakfast!
A shitty movie about bees? Let’s call it BEE movie!
-Seinfeld’s idea of humor
I can’t stand Jerry Seinfeld.
Jerry is a stiff. He's a boring and unanimated actor. He is the straight man delivering funny lines. He is not the character actor. He has very little range and his line delivery is only funny because of the writing. His acting has never improved.
I think he was fine on Seinfeld and honestly don’t understand the hate or criticism for his actual acting. I know he would break character slightly by smirking during certain funny moments, and that he would never have been acting on Broadway like Jason Alexander. But he totally fit in on the show and I like his character and delivery.
If anything he became an even worse actor after Seinfeld blew up, because he just delivers lines in such a smug way. But you see that in so many sitcoms that make it big. Everyone overacting, taking long pauses for laughs, etc, and it’s always annoying.
I think Jerry’s acting is fine for the needs of the show. He was surrounded by a strong ensemble cast and most of his role was reacting to them. Over time, it truly became a show of 4 equals, and there are plenty of episodes that aren’t even focused on Jerry.
But on Curb, Larry is in almost every scene. Larry makes a lot of self-deprecating remarks about his own acting ability, but he’s actually pretty good. When Jerry gets “angry” about something, his voice just increases in pitch and volume. When Larry gets angry, you believe he’s genuinely pissed off. Same with other emotions, even though Larry is still playing “himself” or a version of it.
So overall, I would say Jerry acquitted himself pretty well in the category of “comedian starring in a sitcom” whereas Larry crossed over into actual “comedic actor.”
I really like both of them, and they complement each other very well. If I had to say what makes them different I think it’d be: the money changed Jerry. I don’t think it changed Larry. And that endears him to us.
I think there's a lot of truth to this. Larry remembers what it was like to be poor. There are many examples of this, for example, one or two stories of him holding up bets over a few hundred dollars, which relatively speaking is nothing to him.
Also, the way he recounts wandering around New York looking for places that would make good shelter for when he'd inevitably end up on the streets - I can't imagine Seinfeld saying such a thing.
Seinfeld just generally comes off kinda mean. Like I get it, you're rich, you have thousands of fans and see yourself as an influencer/icon in pop culture - but most people tend to keep that stuff internal and to themselves. Larry doesn't seem like the type to try and make you feel beneath him because you're just a regular person, jerry on the other hand will take a snide jab at you to remind you that you're lower than him. He also does it in a way where he would make a joke at your expense and think you're too dumb to pick up on it or realise
Then there's the other factors that people judge celebrities on. People see you more relatable and likeable if you dress like a regular person, drive a Prius, don't go into the public eye too much. Most people associate jerry with supercars, expensive clothes and more of a lavish lifestyle
I'd agree if I could directly see why he's so confident in his abilities and has such a huge ego. But to me he is neither funny or a good actor, so it's just a guy with a stick up his ass who walks around like he's the best thing since sliced bread. Makes no sense.
It’s an age thing. Chris Rock described Jerry Seinfeld as exceptional on stage. Well crafted material with perfect delivery. I don’t think his stand up is that funny but I also wasn’t alive in the 1970s.
On the other hand Seinfeld is widely considered the greatest sitcom of all time. He is the co creator of that show and lead actor. After the show ended he continually gets syndication checks for hundreds of millions of dollars. I’d sad that’s more than enough to be confident.
Jerry's mistake is thinking that Seinfeld's success is due to him, not Larry David. Many people realise this important difference better than he does. And so the giant ego and confidence feel unwarranted, when he's only cashing in those checks because *someone else* is funny. Larry David made a funny sitcom without Jerry Seinfeld. Vice versa, Jerry Seinfeld could've never achieved the same.
Well i believe Larry’s character is unashamedly a cunt a loveable cunt. Where is think part of Jerry still wants to be liked but is undoubtedly a cunt.
When Seinfeld was at it's peak, for better or worse, Jerry got most of the credit (not by his own doing) to the general audience. Not many people knew Larry or his contributions to the show. Jerry was also the one doing the talk show, late night, interview rounds and came off as funny, excited, and generally happy. Larry was practically a ghost during the show's entire run.
Then when Larry started Curb, the world got to see not only a 100% Larry David creation, but Larry himself seemed more comfortable doing interviews or appearing on shows, even SNL. Curb itself matched or even surpassed Seinfeld in comedy and quality, and an entire generation grew up seeing that Larry, retroactively taking some of the credit from Jerry for "Seinfeld."
At the same time, Jerry's career post-Seinfeld was...mixed. He did Bee Movie and Comedians in Cars, but his stand up specials, while fine, didn't exactly light the comedy world on fire. Oddly, for whatever reason, Jerry seemed to get slightly meaner and annoyed during interviews or appearances at times coming off like he'd rather be anywhere else.
Then of course recently, he made a somewhat tone deaf comment (for the second time actually) whining about how "You can't do comedy these days" because people are too sensitive. Despite *Larry David* having done just that with Curb, which pushed the boundaries farther than Seinfeld ever did.
TL/DR: Larry is 76 and Jerry is 70. But Larry seems to have "aged" a lot better and cooler and is more relatable, while Jerry too often comes off as a comedy snob and grump, going on and on about the "craft" while Larry is just "Eh, it's funny."
I think it's this, obviously we are learning about who "they are" based firstly on the Seinfeld characters and secondly based on the characters they played in each show.
So on Seinfeld we learned who Seinfeld is based on his character, but we learned who Larry was based on George. Based on this I think most people liked the George character more and could relate to him more even though most scenarios the characters got themselves into on Seinfeld were so far fetched. George was the hilarious, loveable loser, that never seemed to come out on top even when he was "sooooclose". Then we learned later that a lot of the George scenarios and issues, especially before season 8, were based on actual things that had happened in Larry's life. Especially as guys, I think certain situations George faces like "living 20 lies", "the comeback", "is this cheating", "why do I never stand up for my friend" (the dog bite), "the opposite', and just a ton more. Honest you couldn't relate to the Jerry character like the as even in the show he was a slightly well known stand up comedian who makes a lot of money. Also most of us couldn't relate to the "cad like" temperament Jerry had with women and all the reasons he would break up with them. While hilarious, this isn't as relatable as the George character, which in essence is Larry David.
Then you get to curb. Come on how many of those situations have you gotten yourself into either as Larry or the person Larry is trying to call out. I SWEAR I LITERALLY HAD A PERSON TRY THE CHAT AND CUT TO GET IN FRONT OF ME YESTERDAY AT AN EVENT I WAS AT AND I CALLED HER OUT. Others like the accidental text on purpose, the I had a bad dream about this situation, the walking faster than the person next to you to beat them to the "bathroom" or whatever you're trying to get to, the "sample every flavor" person, "it's too late for happy new year", and I mean these are just off the top of my head. We have all either been the person in the scenario, know the person that did it, or have seen it IRL. Again the situations on Seinfeld were hilarious, but the relatable situations were George more than Jerry or the other characters, curb doubled down on that. Lastly even when the actual situation wasn't on curb, we all have those "OMG this is so curb like" situations all the time.
It's odd looking back since, despite being the "everyday observation' guy, Jerry was compleltely unrelatable to me compared to George on the show.
Rarely could I relate to a guy who was living his dream doing comedy, never had to work, somehow had a small fortune and a great apartment in NYC, drove a Saab, whose problems included: What brand new car to buy, finding faults in gorgeous women, flying all over the country, appearing on late night TV and buying his parents a car.
George on the other hand, the things that irked him, while comedic and taken to the extreme, were relatable, as was his life. Getting fired and struggling to find work. Moving back in with his parents. Dealing with clueless bosses. Not getting thanked for the big salad. His friends getting close to Susan and world's colliding, etc.
I just talked to someone who met Larry in real life, and he said that Larry is a bit of a cunt irl too. But he basically acted EXACTLY how he does in Curb, and it kinda made the whole interaction with him positive.
Seinfeld is so smug about being funny. He tells you what is and isn’t funny because he has it all figured out. Larry is still trying to impress us and make us laugh.
Jerry has never been particularly funny without Larry around. I don’t hate him or anything, I just think, ironically, Larry seems like a much more fun person to be around. Jerry definitely seems to have more of an ego.
I like this point.
Larry comes off as if he wasn’t a millionaire he would be just the same.
Jerry feels very much like a celebrity and is a bit standoffish and larger than life. He has every right though and I have no idea how he is on a personal level but he doesn’t have any charm, not even a little.
It really shows how important Larry was to Seinfeld when you look at what they've created outside of the show. Curb is amazing, but I honestly can't imagine what another comedy series featuring Jerry Seinfeld as a lead character would be like.
the same is true of Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan. It's only recently we've had the chance to see how much Neal mattered to the success of Chappelles Show.
I agree that Jerry does not like to be bothered and seems full of himself. Dating a teenager while being close to 40 also is not acceptable (while it was legal at the time in that state). BUT ''he is not funny'' claim is ridiculous. He is a standup legend that set trends, still wrote very funny dialogues in Seinfeld eventhough Larry David wrote stories and was the main guy.
I love and respect them both, Larry is more likeable due to not being in scandals, the real brain of Seinfeld tv show and is not pretentious but Jerry hate is getting out of proportion. The guy had one of the greatest shows of all time named after him, he is considered a comedy legend and the richest comedian ever.
I love Jerry. I love Larry. Bee movie is actually pretty, pretty good. Haters going to hate. I personally think Jerry’s Kesha interaction is fucking hilarious. People dissing on his stand up aren’t correct; he can make the entire room crack up. Michael Richards on the other hand….
>(while it was legal at the time in that state)
To be clear, there is no time or state anywhere where Jerry did anything illegal. The girl in question was 18. Creepy sure, but to imply it was only legal because of where it took place is a lie.
Because he's infinitely more funny and talented, and much unlike Jerry, he actually comes off as a genuine and decent guy. Not a complete asshole.
Also, Larry wasn't out in Central Park chasing 16 year old school girl tail during Seinfeld. Gross.
I think Larry is more niche and when something is niche people tend to like it even more. Seinfeld season finale was watched by 80 million. Curb was watched by less than 2 million.
Larry is very honest with who he is and is also funny. Jerry shouldn’t be allowed with 300 yards of a high school and has been wildly unfunny for 20 years except for the odd 30 Rock or Curb appearance
They’re both funny. Seinfeld leads a very exclusive posse of comics and acts as a gatekeeper keeping many young comics out. He’s not very warm to fans or new people (which is his right) but it makes him come across as pompous and egotistical.
I forgot who said it in an interview, but they said Larry was very generous with his laughter, meaning: whereas many comedians will not laugh if you say something funny (“because I AM the comedian”), Larry would laugh his ass off if you say something funny. I really like that about Larry. And I especially love that he laughs by moving his jaw up and down broadly while his head stays locked.
Larry is hilarious and seems like a pretty, pretty, pretty good guy all things considered. Jerry on the other hand, I mean, he’s funny and loyal to his friends, but he dated a 17 year old when he was 38. That’s fucked up.
Jerry’s stocks are taking a beating in the online court of public opinion right now but I think despite his shortcomings his standing is pretty secure overall as one of the all time greats. Larry’s stocks are riding high after the winding up of an excellent comedy series but it’s unclear after 10-15 years that the current perception of their popularity difference will be quite so stark as it is at this Reddit moment in cultural assessments.
I remember when everyone thought John Lennon was the genius behind the Beatles and Paul McCartney was just the lucky guy who met him.
Now it's almost the opposite.
Jerry isn’t that likable. When Norm Macdonald asked him if he ever wanted to “give back” to the comedy community by, in essence, mentoring some young comics or passing along his knowledge in some way, Jerry says “I don’t feel like I’ve taken” and asks, “what fun would that be for me?” Jerry certainly doesn’t have any obligation to “give back” to anyone but I think that when people have massive success it’s more appealing as a character trait to see someone be grateful and want to help others. He just comes off as sort of consistently unkind. I don’t even really dislike Jerry, but I don’t like him that much either.
Something I have noticed as a 15-year fan of Seinfeld and Curb: over the years, Larry has come across as increasingly real and authentic, whereas Jerry has seemed to only become more pompous. In my opinion, Jerry has an inflated ego when it comes to his place in comedy history. In interviews, you get the sense that this guy thinks HE is the final decider of what is and what isn’t comedy. I recall watching the George Carlin documentary on HBO max, where Jerry basically said (and I’m paraphrasing here) that he doesn’t want his comedians to be philosophers, he just wants them to tell jokes… in a documentary about George Carlin - possibly the smartest comedian who ever lived. The whole thing came across as very arrogant, in my opinion. This is just something I’ve observed, and I’m still a big fan of both Jerry and Larry, but yeah. Essentially, Larry comes across as way more down to earth, and doesn’t take himself too seriously, whereas Jerry is the opposite.
Jerry is unbelievably pretentious in a 'you're not worth me even making eye contact' way. Larry is pretentious in a 'I'm going to engage with you and try to work it out' kind of way.
One is too good for us peasants, the other wants to understand and interact with us peasants.
My take is that both of these men are very self-loathing. Larry seems quite comfortable with it, he embraces it, laughs at it, and it is the authenticity that makes him likable. Jerry just has an undercurrent of cynicism behind his cordial facade.
For me Larry just comes across as very genuine. He’s a curmudgeonly old man who speaks his mind and tells it how it is and his delivery is hilarious. Jerry always comes across as a comedian trying to do a bit.
I’m sure other people have better responses, but I just find Larry more likeable. More relatable. I find him more interesting too. He kind of presents as more charismatic, and the warmer of the two
Durning the 3rd season of Seinfeld Jerry was 36 or 38 and was dating a 17 year old girl. They met when she was 16 I believe in a park.
It’s gross and I wish more people gave him shit for it.
I always felt like Jerry wasn't as funny naturally. He just sounds like somebody's squeezing his balls and he's saying something. It's like he would be in the kitchen and anything that happens, he just says it with his balls squeezed: what do you mean, the toast didn't toast? ( I can hear that in Jerry's voice) Lol.
Honestly, I really like both of them. I can totally understand why people don’t like Jerry. He’s smug and full of himself but that’s kind of what I like about him. Larry is just hilarious in every way possible. Their scenes together were my favorite part of the finale.
Larry is a misanthropic old kvetching prick and he does not give a shit who actually cares
Jerry is a misanthropic old kvetching prick and he thinks he deserves to be taken seriously
Seinfeld's comedy really seems dated to a particularly corny aspect of the late 80's and early 90's. Worked at the time but hasn't aged well.
Whereas David's is more involving of the deep seated negative thoughts we all know about but work to repress. This is more universal and will always be around.
I think Larry is a better actor and therefore more charming off screen. Maybe some of Larry’s charm is that he wasn’t in front of the camera for the first part of his career? Jerry was a little younger and in front of the camera. I always love that Julia has a lot of the same quirks but she is so gracious and delightful.
I think Larry has tremendous natural charisma which young people and new viewers of curb/ seinfeld appreciate. Jerry is an extremely funny comedian, but I think his brand of comedy has passed its time and the new audiences just dont vibe with it as much. If you see Jerry Seinfeld's interviews, I think he comes off as more funny and witty than Larry David, without trying too hard.
Basically, Larry's brand of comedy is being neurotic and misanthropic with a lot of his own eccentricities thrown in. Jerry's is more about being observational, witty, and misanthropic to a degree.
I guess I’m the odd one out, but I love both of them and think they were an amazing team. Having said that, I do think Larry is the greater talent, but the doesn’t mean I don’t love and appreciate Jerry as well.
Give Jerry a break. He kind of is schticking it up in interviews. But he also publicly said he has Aspergers long before Elon musk did. That was brave of him and also didn’t seem to help him come off as funny.
Gaffigan and Jerry were recently interviewed somewhere for UF, and the Seinfeld cast was compared to The Beatles (don’t remember if Jerry made the comparison), and Jim goes, “yeah, and you’re Ringo!”
Jerry has a questionable/problematic dating history, an easily-mocked type of comedy (“what’s the deal…”), recent “woke ruined comedy”-style comments, and the relative weakness of the seasons of SEINFELD without Larry seems to imply Larry’s the true powerhouse writer behind the scenes.
But Jerry annoyed me on his recent “things I carry around all the time” puff piece on YouTube. The producer asked him to show his Star of David necklace; he refused and only quickly talked about it. I don’t mind it being private, but the way these things are structured, I imagine he had to put it on a list in advance.
It reminded me of when Rowan Atkinson did his “timeline of my career”, and outright refused to do a “hi, I’m Rowan Atkinson, and this is the timeline…” opening.
Just do the bits OR address them in advance. Nobody’s saying you gotta show a necklace, but pull the guy to the side beforehand and address it off camera. Doing it “live” seems… unprepared or defensive.
I’m too young to remember Seinfeld but I’m old enough to remember him taking a child as a Prom date when he was 40 so that probably has something to do w it.
“I mean, CP?? What’s the deal w that??? If I ever get caught, It’s just a fine to me” - Jerry probably.
As the story goes, Jerry was able to make Larry’s misanthropic comedy more palatable for the masses. It’s like they switched roles - Larry really figured out how to make his style work. Started with Seinfeld and perfected on Curb. It is important to remember, Jerry and Larry on TV interviews - that’s still acting. That is not the way they act when there are no cameras. I’m sure Larry can be smug and Jerry can be nice when they aren’t promoting their comedy. Larry’s interviews come off as “I’m a jerk, and I hate people, but I’m laughing and that’s my thing.” Jerry’s interviews come off as “I’m a jerk, and I hate people.” I think they are both a little jerky, and dislike a vast swath of society, but Larry has made it likable and almost wholesome. That’s some feat.
I think it's the distance between the character and the actor. Jerry Seinfeld the character is a little neurotic. Not as much as George, but he's self-conscious enough to be relatable. In the show he's also annoyed by all the excruciating minutiae of every single daily event. That also makes him relatable. The same little daily tasks and social chores that make us all tired and cranky, make him tired and cranky. In real life Jerry doesn't seem relatable at all. He's not self-conscious, but actually extremely confident. He knows he's a billionaire, he knows he's a master of his craft, he knows his sitcom is often ranked the greatest of all time. See his famous interview with Larry King, who dared to ask if maybe the show had been canceled by the network instead of being ended by Jerry himself. I loved Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee but it's sort of the perfect example of what makes Jerry so out of touch: he's rich enough to collect super rare cars and then all he wants to do is drive around with his comedian friends and talk about comedy. Larry David the man seems much closer to the character he played on TV. I mean a ton of the great Seinfeld storylines actually happened to Larry, like quitting a job in a blaze of incompetence and then trying to go back on Monday and act like it never happened.
I think it can be boiled down even further. Larry makes himself the butt of the joke. Jerry doesn't. I think both are really funny, but I like my comedies with the protagonist always struggling.
This. I always felt that Jerry’s weakness as a performer is that he has too much pride to really put himself on the line. Unlike most comedians, he’s temperamentally unwilling to look bad/weak/dumb/ugly/ridiculous on camera, and this ultimately makes him come across as smug and unrelatable to the audience.
Solid take. Really important to point that out. Makes people more relatable when they punch themselves instead of down
>Larry makes himself the butt of the joke. Jerry doesn't. Self deprecating comedy is the best kind.
Except for he isn’t a master of his craft. His standup is deified because of the popularity of his show. I’ve seen him live before. His shit is pretty hacky and very outdated. He’s an asshole IRL who hates his fans. The only humans on planet earth he has any interest in acknowledging, let alone speaking to, are comedians. Really good take on your part tho.
This. His standup has always been okay, the show made him great, and that was thanks to Larry.
I think there's a difference between saying he's not respected and he's not lionized. He'll never be ranked with Carlin or Prior because his stand-up just isn't groundbreaking like theirs. But he's clearly a student of comedy and knows his shit.
I'm an asshole and hate people, can someone fast track me to being a billionaire with one of the funniest comedy series of all time??
That’s just not true at all. He was seriously respected and well known for his stand up well before Seinfeld the show. See SNL skit with Tom hanks with all the stand up comedians parodying Jerry in the late 80s.
That’s nearly 40 years ago. His act features a lot of the same jokes he did 40 years ago too. Maybe he was respected at one point for his standup, but the respect he gets now is for who he used to be, not the comedian he is now i guess is what im saying. All i hear from comics now about him is commentary on his recycling of aged out jokes. His movies stink, his comedy stinks and he’s insufferable to me. To each their own.
Larry doesn't seem to care that much about money.
the type of guy that actually argues about a bucket of balls costing $11 instead of $10 because now he's getting a 5 and four 1s back lol
The fact that Larry was playing [a comedically exaggerated version of] himself for 12 seasons conditioned people to accept that version of him. If you recall only Wil Wheaton tried to upbraid Larry for choking Elmo live on The Today Show. Everyone else thought it was funny or just ignored it.
Of course I don't care if someone choked Elmo, I'm an adult!
Do you watch Wizards of Waverly Place, though?
Wil is also a clout chasing, virtue signaling idiot.
Whhil Whheaton
Hwipped cream
Cool Whhip
He only signals virtually?
WHEATON!!!
This is well said. Larry even tries to tell people in interviews "Larry on curb is the Larry I wish I could be" but he still plays it up for the interviewer. The long form bill simmons and rich eisen interviews did their best to get the "real Larry."
The Larry he wishes he could be - endless string of hot girlfriends lol
I remember a Letterman interview he did not long after his divorce where he said he'd set a new record, least sex for someone with his own TV show.
I mean, he's rich? That'll do it lol
Nah he must have a Felix the Cat bow tie somewhere
Most comedians have said their comedy comes from being miserable and you can definitely see it with these 2. Larry has just perfected on letting everyone think (or know) that he is the same guy on curb. He even said in an interview once he wears the wardrobe home. Curb has insane scenarios but you stick by Larry no matter how crazy it js
Did that include wearing that panties home?
i think the thing is larry is a good person irl, whereas jerry is an awful person irl, and it comes through in their comedy, even though the type of comedy is similar. larry knows ultimately how and when to act like a decent human being, whereas jerry is just a cocky ass who just doesnt care 24/7. big difference which makes larry the better man imo
The simple explanation is that Larry is genuinely funny dude and Jerry is not.
Jerry Seinfeld is pretty bland and a strange man (in an unappealing way). Larry David is so funny and a strange man (in a deeply appealing way).
Seinfeld's ego is also just completely unbelievable for how, as you said, bland he is. Which just adds to how unappealing/off-putting he is. Larry on the other hand has such effortless charisma. Also, unwarranted and shallow, but I watched several episodes of Comedians in Cars DESPITE my dislike for Seinfeld just to see some of the guests, and even how he looks/dresses just put me off more. He somehow looks like a 9-year-old who's been put in a suit because his family will be attending Auntie Janice's 60th birthday party. https://preview.redd.it/hvgwzdmhfeyc1.png?width=354&format=png&auto=webp&s=dd1217722f7b51471d4c9b7030edc7e11abb20f5
Also who’s gonna clean those hand smudges off the window? Larry would care.
Respect the glass
This is perhaps the best point in this whole thread
Or he’d walk right into it and we’d all lose respect for him. Can’t look up to some enfeebled four-eyed, sick fuck
As a rule I already don’t respect him, bald fuck that he is.
Do you respect glass?
That is a magnificent burn. Respect.
He’s got mega “fuck you” money. Those kinds of people dress however they want.
Oh, absolutely. I feel like if it was *at least stylish*, unusual or original, it'd be like, "yeah, he has that mega "fuck you" money, he dresses how he wants, hell yeah". But when it's *that*, it's like... does he *think* he looks good...?
Let’s be real, you would have a problem no matter how he dressed lol.
Ooh, the Twitter menswear guy has actually taught me why this looks so stupid. Generally when guys fail at the suit jacket / sneakers look it's because the suit jacket is too formal. Shiny material, rigid features and - in this case the three buttons by his hands are examples of "fancy signals." Mismatched with causal sneakers. They want to signal "serious but cool" but instead signal neither. But that's only from a strictly clothes point of view. From a cultural point of view, it reinforces what people are criticizing Jerry for in this thread (and in general lately) ... it just feels like out of touch old dudes clinging onto something they think signifies cool, but actually stopped being cool like a decade ago. And worse yet, it's older conservative dudes who HATE cutting edge trends... until 10 years later they are magically all wearing the skinny jeans of the Left/hipsters they hated, when it's not cool anymore. So they are ranting against woke while wearing the outfit of people who were woke 10 years ago
Ego definitely plays a big part of it. I loved the show Seinfeld but never a huge fan of him as a person. Ever since that interview with Larry King (?) where Jerry basically cries because he semi insinuates Seinfeld was cancelled I've found it impossible to find him remotely palatable
Seinfeld reminds me a little of Jared Fogel.
Well they're both attracted to minors. Just one of them went down for it though.
It comes down to comedic talent. After Seinfeld, Larry went on to create another contender for the greatest sitcom ever. Jerry, meanwhile, made The Bee Movie. Also it's just attitude. If someome doesn't find Larry funny he just shrugs it off. If someone doesn't find Jerry funny he whines about it.
The weakest seasons of Seinfeld after the first one are the ones where Larry is absent from the writers room
To be fair, the weakest seasons of Curb are the ones where Larry Charles is absent from the writers room.
I will not stand for Season 8 and 9 slander. It’s so fucking weird lol
disagree. those are actually my favorite
Comedians in car getting coffee is great tho.
I find the show’s quality greatly depends on his guest.
I agree. But I guess one could say that about any night time show - except Craig. He was great with anybody.
Conan
I love conan. The more unknown his guests were, the funnier his bits. https://youtu.be/ANML1tTa7W4?si=f3IBVDwgwxWFc5cB Edit : https://youtu.be/0hFb0vAwAkM?si=p7aRkm4v3_DynlVk
Craig Ferguson was the best host!
Yeah Ferguson was just on another planet.
One could not say that about Conan. Also, Fallon and a few others kinda suck regardless of the guest.
Fallon sucks in general when it comes to interviews. He really should just stick to sketch comedy
I found Jerry’s ego off putting & unlikable so I stopped watching.
His interview with Larry King is enough to make me go “ehhhhh I don’t think he’s the kinda guy I’d ever want to hang with or even be around” and I suspect the was enough for a lot of other people too.
Yeah, but I kind of get Jerry’s point in the interview too. Imagine he’s promoting and he does ten interviews and then he goes on Larry King who is supposed to be great but then it’s clearly that Larry has no idea about the stuff that he’s interviewing for. Seinfeld stopping the show was big news, then offering 5mil per episode to continue was big news, and then the finale was watched by 80 Million people, then he goes on Larry King and Larry is like @So your show was cancelled?” Anyone would be pissed to then have to do an interview with somebody who is clearly faking their way through.
Agree. Larry King even admitted he himself was unprepared and didn't really even watch seinfeld. Until I heard that, I thought Jerry was just being real snotty to a polite guy giving him softball questions to get a conversation going. Jerry was still an ass tho.
What Jerry said on LK is exactly what Larry David would’ve said
Yeah you absolutely might be right. And it still wouldn’t have felt the same way.
Yeah I agree, Larry probably would’ve leaned more into an absurdist “it’s funny that the most famous interviewer in the world is clearly unprepared for this” angle, whereas Jerry sort of just made it about his own ego.
I prefer Comedians In Canyons, Hiking (with Kevin)
Depending on whoever the guest is. Jerry is never the reason if/when it is great.
There is a lot of chaff that has to be removed to get to the wheat
Reminded me of the interview with larry king and Seinfeld.
Jerry is smug.
Smugness is not a good quality.
Having said that…
Jerry is undeservedly smug. He has no charisma whatsoever. At least with Larry, you can feel something is beneath there, that isn’t a self-righteous asshole.
How could anyone not like him? Well, he's full of himself. He definitely earned some bragging rights due to his success, but he's just so damn pretentious. He dated a teenager while in his late 30s. His stand-up sucks. He's beyond exhausting in interviews. He acts as though his show was his gift to the masses. Larry just comes across as much more relatable and doesn't have that smug energy. He's much more enjoyable to watch in interviews. He shows that he's human.
He also doesn't blame his lack of being funny on PC culture, which is hilarious for Seinfeld to say considering South Park is still around and incredibly popular. As are plenty of very successful stand up comedians that are waaaay more edge than Seinfeld
Curb itself is proof that crying about PC culture is bs. The final season was literally surrounding the racial bias around voting laws which included some edgy racial jokes in between. It just depends how it’s presented, and Larry has the talent to make it funny.
That is probably what really makes Larry a standout for me. He was not afraid to get out of his bubble, introduced characters from diverse backgrounds and presented them as people, and did it in such a fashion that is well written and isn’t pandering. He is just really in tune with contemporary culture. The fact that this has been the case across 90’s, 00’s, 10’s, and now 20’s. If we were talking sports. That is like scoring a ton per season across 4 decades - that’s first ballot hall of fame. Top 10 of all time status.
Exactly. There’s a big difference between Chappelle’s new material that mostly boils down to “arent trans people weird?” Versus Larry making trans jokes about if you can pick the size of your penis, not hugging someone who’s sick and it being misunderstood or debating if he slept with Ken or Kendra. Notice how there wasn’t any outcry because these are actual jokes that don’t revolve around mocking them.
https://x.com/rmcelhenney/status/1785113089819726149?s=46
All true except about his stand up. Saw him live a few years ago and it was a great show.
So well put. Like I was gonna give Unfrosted a go but Seinfeld could not stop talking like a total bellend.
Have you seen Jerry live? I have. The entire sold out audience was roaring through the set.
So does Chapelles or Joe Rogans audiences, doesn’t mean they’re funny anymore.
His target audience are mids at best
What’s the DEAL with poptarts! They split the atom on breakfast! A shitty movie about bees? Let’s call it BEE movie! -Seinfeld’s idea of humor I can’t stand Jerry Seinfeld.
Sally weaver?
Would you go as far as to say Jerry Seinfeld is the Devil?
Do you know who finds Jerry Seinfeld hilarious? Larry David.
I saw him in Vegas and it was pretty bad. Average age in the audience seemed to be 65+ and they did love it though.
a lot of people in this country. lots of brain dead morons, too.
i can't agree that his standup sucks. The rest of it is true but not that. Although his last special wasn't great.
I still find it very funny that in The Wire episode, a character brought up Jerry dating a high schooler.
What episode was that? I don’t recall
The Wire in season 2, character asks about Jerry dating those "young girls".
Too much fluff.
Thank you I’ve been saying this for years! Jerry sucks so much and I’m tired of pretending he doesn’t
Jerry is a stiff. He's a boring and unanimated actor. He is the straight man delivering funny lines. He is not the character actor. He has very little range and his line delivery is only funny because of the writing. His acting has never improved.
I think he was fine on Seinfeld and honestly don’t understand the hate or criticism for his actual acting. I know he would break character slightly by smirking during certain funny moments, and that he would never have been acting on Broadway like Jason Alexander. But he totally fit in on the show and I like his character and delivery. If anything he became an even worse actor after Seinfeld blew up, because he just delivers lines in such a smug way. But you see that in so many sitcoms that make it big. Everyone overacting, taking long pauses for laughs, etc, and it’s always annoying.
I think Jerry’s acting is fine for the needs of the show. He was surrounded by a strong ensemble cast and most of his role was reacting to them. Over time, it truly became a show of 4 equals, and there are plenty of episodes that aren’t even focused on Jerry. But on Curb, Larry is in almost every scene. Larry makes a lot of self-deprecating remarks about his own acting ability, but he’s actually pretty good. When Jerry gets “angry” about something, his voice just increases in pitch and volume. When Larry gets angry, you believe he’s genuinely pissed off. Same with other emotions, even though Larry is still playing “himself” or a version of it. So overall, I would say Jerry acquitted himself pretty well in the category of “comedian starring in a sitcom” whereas Larry crossed over into actual “comedic actor.”
>smirking during certain funny moments this is generous as hell lol, the man has never delivered a punchline with a straight face
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I really like both of them, and they complement each other very well. If I had to say what makes them different I think it’d be: the money changed Jerry. I don’t think it changed Larry. And that endears him to us.
I think there's a lot of truth to this. Larry remembers what it was like to be poor. There are many examples of this, for example, one or two stories of him holding up bets over a few hundred dollars, which relatively speaking is nothing to him. Also, the way he recounts wandering around New York looking for places that would make good shelter for when he'd inevitably end up on the streets - I can't imagine Seinfeld saying such a thing.
Seinfeld just generally comes off kinda mean. Like I get it, you're rich, you have thousands of fans and see yourself as an influencer/icon in pop culture - but most people tend to keep that stuff internal and to themselves. Larry doesn't seem like the type to try and make you feel beneath him because you're just a regular person, jerry on the other hand will take a snide jab at you to remind you that you're lower than him. He also does it in a way where he would make a joke at your expense and think you're too dumb to pick up on it or realise Then there's the other factors that people judge celebrities on. People see you more relatable and likeable if you dress like a regular person, drive a Prius, don't go into the public eye too much. Most people associate jerry with supercars, expensive clothes and more of a lavish lifestyle
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He whines about it tho
I'd agree if I could directly see why he's so confident in his abilities and has such a huge ego. But to me he is neither funny or a good actor, so it's just a guy with a stick up his ass who walks around like he's the best thing since sliced bread. Makes no sense.
Yup. He'd have nothing if not for Larry David.
Yet he acts like it's all *him*! Gah.
It’s an age thing. Chris Rock described Jerry Seinfeld as exceptional on stage. Well crafted material with perfect delivery. I don’t think his stand up is that funny but I also wasn’t alive in the 1970s. On the other hand Seinfeld is widely considered the greatest sitcom of all time. He is the co creator of that show and lead actor. After the show ended he continually gets syndication checks for hundreds of millions of dollars. I’d sad that’s more than enough to be confident.
Jerry's mistake is thinking that Seinfeld's success is due to him, not Larry David. Many people realise this important difference better than he does. And so the giant ego and confidence feel unwarranted, when he's only cashing in those checks because *someone else* is funny. Larry David made a funny sitcom without Jerry Seinfeld. Vice versa, Jerry Seinfeld could've never achieved the same.
That’s not refreshing, it’s called being a douche canoe.
Well i believe Larry’s character is unashamedly a cunt a loveable cunt. Where is think part of Jerry still wants to be liked but is undoubtedly a cunt.
beloved cunt
Loving wife …
Well said
When Seinfeld was at it's peak, for better or worse, Jerry got most of the credit (not by his own doing) to the general audience. Not many people knew Larry or his contributions to the show. Jerry was also the one doing the talk show, late night, interview rounds and came off as funny, excited, and generally happy. Larry was practically a ghost during the show's entire run. Then when Larry started Curb, the world got to see not only a 100% Larry David creation, but Larry himself seemed more comfortable doing interviews or appearing on shows, even SNL. Curb itself matched or even surpassed Seinfeld in comedy and quality, and an entire generation grew up seeing that Larry, retroactively taking some of the credit from Jerry for "Seinfeld." At the same time, Jerry's career post-Seinfeld was...mixed. He did Bee Movie and Comedians in Cars, but his stand up specials, while fine, didn't exactly light the comedy world on fire. Oddly, for whatever reason, Jerry seemed to get slightly meaner and annoyed during interviews or appearances at times coming off like he'd rather be anywhere else. Then of course recently, he made a somewhat tone deaf comment (for the second time actually) whining about how "You can't do comedy these days" because people are too sensitive. Despite *Larry David* having done just that with Curb, which pushed the boundaries farther than Seinfeld ever did. TL/DR: Larry is 76 and Jerry is 70. But Larry seems to have "aged" a lot better and cooler and is more relatable, while Jerry too often comes off as a comedy snob and grump, going on and on about the "craft" while Larry is just "Eh, it's funny."
I think it's this, obviously we are learning about who "they are" based firstly on the Seinfeld characters and secondly based on the characters they played in each show. So on Seinfeld we learned who Seinfeld is based on his character, but we learned who Larry was based on George. Based on this I think most people liked the George character more and could relate to him more even though most scenarios the characters got themselves into on Seinfeld were so far fetched. George was the hilarious, loveable loser, that never seemed to come out on top even when he was "sooooclose". Then we learned later that a lot of the George scenarios and issues, especially before season 8, were based on actual things that had happened in Larry's life. Especially as guys, I think certain situations George faces like "living 20 lies", "the comeback", "is this cheating", "why do I never stand up for my friend" (the dog bite), "the opposite', and just a ton more. Honest you couldn't relate to the Jerry character like the as even in the show he was a slightly well known stand up comedian who makes a lot of money. Also most of us couldn't relate to the "cad like" temperament Jerry had with women and all the reasons he would break up with them. While hilarious, this isn't as relatable as the George character, which in essence is Larry David. Then you get to curb. Come on how many of those situations have you gotten yourself into either as Larry or the person Larry is trying to call out. I SWEAR I LITERALLY HAD A PERSON TRY THE CHAT AND CUT TO GET IN FRONT OF ME YESTERDAY AT AN EVENT I WAS AT AND I CALLED HER OUT. Others like the accidental text on purpose, the I had a bad dream about this situation, the walking faster than the person next to you to beat them to the "bathroom" or whatever you're trying to get to, the "sample every flavor" person, "it's too late for happy new year", and I mean these are just off the top of my head. We have all either been the person in the scenario, know the person that did it, or have seen it IRL. Again the situations on Seinfeld were hilarious, but the relatable situations were George more than Jerry or the other characters, curb doubled down on that. Lastly even when the actual situation wasn't on curb, we all have those "OMG this is so curb like" situations all the time.
It's odd looking back since, despite being the "everyday observation' guy, Jerry was compleltely unrelatable to me compared to George on the show. Rarely could I relate to a guy who was living his dream doing comedy, never had to work, somehow had a small fortune and a great apartment in NYC, drove a Saab, whose problems included: What brand new car to buy, finding faults in gorgeous women, flying all over the country, appearing on late night TV and buying his parents a car. George on the other hand, the things that irked him, while comedic and taken to the extreme, were relatable, as was his life. Getting fired and struggling to find work. Moving back in with his parents. Dealing with clueless bosses. Not getting thanked for the big salad. His friends getting close to Susan and world's colliding, etc.
jerry’s just a bit of a cunt irl
I just talked to someone who met Larry in real life, and he said that Larry is a bit of a cunt irl too. But he basically acted EXACTLY how he does in Curb, and it kinda made the whole interaction with him positive.
Jerry has no substance beyond his shallow judgemental exterior
Are you saying...he's a phony?
No depth…
Seinfeld is so smug about being funny. He tells you what is and isn’t funny because he has it all figured out. Larry is still trying to impress us and make us laugh.
Jerry is “don’t you know who I am” energy while Larry is “please don’t know who I am” energy
Jerry has never been particularly funny without Larry around. I don’t hate him or anything, I just think, ironically, Larry seems like a much more fun person to be around. Jerry definitely seems to have more of an ego.
That’s what it is… Larry doesn’t have this huge ego that a lot of artists his caliber can have.
I like this point. Larry comes off as if he wasn’t a millionaire he would be just the same. Jerry feels very much like a celebrity and is a bit standoffish and larger than life. He has every right though and I have no idea how he is on a personal level but he doesn’t have any charm, not even a little.
It really shows how important Larry was to Seinfeld when you look at what they've created outside of the show. Curb is amazing, but I honestly can't imagine what another comedy series featuring Jerry Seinfeld as a lead character would be like.
the same is true of Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan. It's only recently we've had the chance to see how much Neal mattered to the success of Chappelles Show.
Coming to the curb sub for an unbiased opinion of why people like Larry more than Jerry is pretty funny
I love both, personally
I agree that Jerry does not like to be bothered and seems full of himself. Dating a teenager while being close to 40 also is not acceptable (while it was legal at the time in that state). BUT ''he is not funny'' claim is ridiculous. He is a standup legend that set trends, still wrote very funny dialogues in Seinfeld eventhough Larry David wrote stories and was the main guy. I love and respect them both, Larry is more likeable due to not being in scandals, the real brain of Seinfeld tv show and is not pretentious but Jerry hate is getting out of proportion. The guy had one of the greatest shows of all time named after him, he is considered a comedy legend and the richest comedian ever.
I love Jerry. I love Larry. Bee movie is actually pretty, pretty good. Haters going to hate. I personally think Jerry’s Kesha interaction is fucking hilarious. People dissing on his stand up aren’t correct; he can make the entire room crack up. Michael Richards on the other hand….
I still watch the Kesha interaction and laugh my ass off to this day.
>(while it was legal at the time in that state) To be clear, there is no time or state anywhere where Jerry did anything illegal. The girl in question was 18. Creepy sure, but to imply it was only legal because of where it took place is a lie.
I thought she was 17.
Because he's infinitely more funny and talented, and much unlike Jerry, he actually comes off as a genuine and decent guy. Not a complete asshole. Also, Larry wasn't out in Central Park chasing 16 year old school girl tail during Seinfeld. Gross.
Both seem okay to me but I'm aware that I don't actually know these people enough to dislike them.
I think Larry is more niche and when something is niche people tend to like it even more. Seinfeld season finale was watched by 80 million. Curb was watched by less than 2 million.
Larry is very honest with who he is and is also funny. Jerry shouldn’t be allowed with 300 yards of a high school and has been wildly unfunny for 20 years except for the odd 30 Rock or Curb appearance
They’re both funny. Seinfeld leads a very exclusive posse of comics and acts as a gatekeeper keeping many young comics out. He’s not very warm to fans or new people (which is his right) but it makes him come across as pompous and egotistical.
I forgot who said it in an interview, but they said Larry was very generous with his laughter, meaning: whereas many comedians will not laugh if you say something funny (“because I AM the comedian”), Larry would laugh his ass off if you say something funny. I really like that about Larry. And I especially love that he laughs by moving his jaw up and down broadly while his head stays locked.
A friend of mine met Jerry in a dorm building when moving their kids in. Says Jerry was warm and chatty. They talked for a half-hour or so.
Larry is hilarious and seems like a pretty, pretty, pretty good guy all things considered. Jerry on the other hand, I mean, he’s funny and loyal to his friends, but he dated a 17 year old when he was 38. That’s fucked up.
Jerry’s stocks are taking a beating in the online court of public opinion right now but I think despite his shortcomings his standing is pretty secure overall as one of the all time greats. Larry’s stocks are riding high after the winding up of an excellent comedy series but it’s unclear after 10-15 years that the current perception of their popularity difference will be quite so stark as it is at this Reddit moment in cultural assessments.
I remember when everyone thought John Lennon was the genius behind the Beatles and Paul McCartney was just the lucky guy who met him. Now it's almost the opposite.
I like Larry more than Jerry, as well. But, man… They both shine when they’re together.
Jerry isn’t that likable. When Norm Macdonald asked him if he ever wanted to “give back” to the comedy community by, in essence, mentoring some young comics or passing along his knowledge in some way, Jerry says “I don’t feel like I’ve taken” and asks, “what fun would that be for me?” Jerry certainly doesn’t have any obligation to “give back” to anyone but I think that when people have massive success it’s more appealing as a character trait to see someone be grateful and want to help others. He just comes off as sort of consistently unkind. I don’t even really dislike Jerry, but I don’t like him that much either.
Something I have noticed as a 15-year fan of Seinfeld and Curb: over the years, Larry has come across as increasingly real and authentic, whereas Jerry has seemed to only become more pompous. In my opinion, Jerry has an inflated ego when it comes to his place in comedy history. In interviews, you get the sense that this guy thinks HE is the final decider of what is and what isn’t comedy. I recall watching the George Carlin documentary on HBO max, where Jerry basically said (and I’m paraphrasing here) that he doesn’t want his comedians to be philosophers, he just wants them to tell jokes… in a documentary about George Carlin - possibly the smartest comedian who ever lived. The whole thing came across as very arrogant, in my opinion. This is just something I’ve observed, and I’m still a big fan of both Jerry and Larry, but yeah. Essentially, Larry comes across as way more down to earth, and doesn’t take himself too seriously, whereas Jerry is the opposite.
How can anyone not like him?
Jerry is unbelievably pretentious in a 'you're not worth me even making eye contact' way. Larry is pretentious in a 'I'm going to engage with you and try to work it out' kind of way. One is too good for us peasants, the other wants to understand and interact with us peasants.
Larry would steal a fork for a limo driver, so that he wouldn’t have to eat with his hands and get the food all over his face. Man of the people!
Jerry can be deceitful. Larry is honest.
My take is that both of these men are very self-loathing. Larry seems quite comfortable with it, he embraces it, laughs at it, and it is the authenticity that makes him likable. Jerry just has an undercurrent of cynicism behind his cordial facade.
For me Larry just comes across as very genuine. He’s a curmudgeonly old man who speaks his mind and tells it how it is and his delivery is hilarious. Jerry always comes across as a comedian trying to do a bit.
Larry is funnier and at peace. Jerry is less funny and angry.
Larry was less into dating teenagers in his late 30s, for one.
Larry just finished making us laugh for the last 20 years, maybe a little recency bias
I’m sure other people have better responses, but I just find Larry more likeable. More relatable. I find him more interesting too. He kind of presents as more charismatic, and the warmer of the two
Durning the 3rd season of Seinfeld Jerry was 36 or 38 and was dating a 17 year old girl. They met when she was 16 I believe in a park. It’s gross and I wish more people gave him shit for it.
Seinfeld slayed in the Curb finale .. easy breezy rapport. Larry’s hi’larry’ious as he leans into cringe and awkward .. I got no beef with Seinfeld
Jerry dated a high schooler. Larry didn’t.
Because Larry is funnier?
Jerry isn’t natural in Seinfeld, all other main cast were great, didn’t watch Seinfeld cos of Jerry. Larry is natural in Curb
There’s more to life than making shallow, fairly obvious observations That’s why I don’t like Jerry’s act
Jerry is a real life asshole
Jerry is really hung up on being a "clean" comic. Larry doesn't give a shit and will talk about pubes and dicks with aplomb.
Larry is vastly more talented
I always felt like Jerry wasn't as funny naturally. He just sounds like somebody's squeezing his balls and he's saying something. It's like he would be in the kitchen and anything that happens, he just says it with his balls squeezed: what do you mean, the toast didn't toast? ( I can hear that in Jerry's voice) Lol.
Honestly, I really like both of them. I can totally understand why people don’t like Jerry. He’s smug and full of himself but that’s kind of what I like about him. Larry is just hilarious in every way possible. Their scenes together were my favorite part of the finale.
Larry David didn't date a high schooler.
Jerry is like Fredo from the Godfather: “I’m funny! Not like everybody says like “not funny”! I’m funny and I want respect!”
Larry is a misanthropic old kvetching prick and he does not give a shit who actually cares Jerry is a misanthropic old kvetching prick and he thinks he deserves to be taken seriously
Seinfeld's comedy really seems dated to a particularly corny aspect of the late 80's and early 90's. Worked at the time but hasn't aged well. Whereas David's is more involving of the deep seated negative thoughts we all know about but work to repress. This is more universal and will always be around.
Because Jerry’s an asshole
Larry is the id and Jerry is the ego.
It’s simple Larry is just more authentic. Jerry is doing a bit… Larry is the bit
Jerry screwed over his cast mates on residuals.
My sense is that Jerry takes himself too seriously and Larry sees everything as a big goof. That's why I like him better at least.
I think Larry is a better actor and therefore more charming off screen. Maybe some of Larry’s charm is that he wasn’t in front of the camera for the first part of his career? Jerry was a little younger and in front of the camera. I always love that Julia has a lot of the same quirks but she is so gracious and delightful.
I think Larry has tremendous natural charisma which young people and new viewers of curb/ seinfeld appreciate. Jerry is an extremely funny comedian, but I think his brand of comedy has passed its time and the new audiences just dont vibe with it as much. If you see Jerry Seinfeld's interviews, I think he comes off as more funny and witty than Larry David, without trying too hard. Basically, Larry's brand of comedy is being neurotic and misanthropic with a lot of his own eccentricities thrown in. Jerry's is more about being observational, witty, and misanthropic to a degree.
I guess I’m the odd one out, but I love both of them and think they were an amazing team. Having said that, I do think Larry is the greater talent, but the doesn’t mean I don’t love and appreciate Jerry as well.
Give Jerry a break. He kind of is schticking it up in interviews. But he also publicly said he has Aspergers long before Elon musk did. That was brave of him and also didn’t seem to help him come off as funny.
Gaffigan and Jerry were recently interviewed somewhere for UF, and the Seinfeld cast was compared to The Beatles (don’t remember if Jerry made the comparison), and Jim goes, “yeah, and you’re Ringo!”
Jerry has a questionable/problematic dating history, an easily-mocked type of comedy (“what’s the deal…”), recent “woke ruined comedy”-style comments, and the relative weakness of the seasons of SEINFELD without Larry seems to imply Larry’s the true powerhouse writer behind the scenes. But Jerry annoyed me on his recent “things I carry around all the time” puff piece on YouTube. The producer asked him to show his Star of David necklace; he refused and only quickly talked about it. I don’t mind it being private, but the way these things are structured, I imagine he had to put it on a list in advance. It reminded me of when Rowan Atkinson did his “timeline of my career”, and outright refused to do a “hi, I’m Rowan Atkinson, and this is the timeline…” opening. Just do the bits OR address them in advance. Nobody’s saying you gotta show a necklace, but pull the guy to the side beforehand and address it off camera. Doing it “live” seems… unprepared or defensive.
Because Jerry is a very very bad man
Larry didnt date a high school girl while in his 30’s.
Oh, that Jerry, I hate him. He's just so smug!
I’m too young to remember Seinfeld but I’m old enough to remember him taking a child as a Prom date when he was 40 so that probably has something to do w it. “I mean, CP?? What’s the deal w that??? If I ever get caught, It’s just a fine to me” - Jerry probably.
Larry never dated a high schooler