#PRFail? Seinfeld: 'Who Cares' About Diversity in Comedy

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By: Shawn Paul Wood

Without question, one of the most legendary TV series of all time is "Seinfeld." Aside from that it was written by Jerry and his neurotic cohort, Larry David, the premise was absolute genius because it was about nothing. In 1998, when the show left prime-time TV, there was weeping and gnashing of teeth. Last week, there were rumors of a "reunion" amidst the Super Bowl commercials hullabaloo. Turns out the reunion was a shill for Jerry's pet project, a Web series called Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Again, probably nothing.

And then, there's a note about what Jerry said to BuzzFeed that could be much ado about something. It was a vitriolic response he shared when asked why everyone on his pilot was white (harkening back to the same claims of his original show — a place for 'Whitey'):

“People think it’s the census or something,” Seinfeld said of the assertion that all pop culture should accurately reflect society. “This has gotta represent the actual pie chart of America? Who cares? Funny is the world that I live in. You’re funny, I’m interested. You’re not funny, I’m not interested. I have no interest in gender or race or anything like that.” Seinfeld went on to say that approaching comedy through the lens of race or gender or sexuality are “anti-comedy.” “It’s more about PC nonsense than, ‘Are you making us laugh or not?’” he said.

So, flacks: Is this is a #PRFail, in dire need of some PSA on equality, or a #PRWin because what he said wasn't P.C.-centric?

Different palettes have different tastes. Seinfeld's myopic comedy isn't for everyone, although ratings pose a counterpoint for that argument. To the great Jerry Seinfeld, comedy is about laughs. And if you make him laugh, you win. Don't, and you're back to open mic night. Pryor to Murphy, Ansari to Barker, Koy to Phan, Rivers to Lampinelli — funny comes in all shades and sizes. And I'm sure Jerry thinks so, but on his show (at the time), the shades and sizes are homogenized and slightly hefty (Right, Newman?).

Judge for yourself. Bigot or just big-headed? PR issue or meh?

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About the Author

Shawn Paul Wood is a hack-turned-flack with more than 20 years of collective journalism, copywriting and marketing communications experience. Shawn Paul is founder of Woodworks Communications in Dallas, Texas. If you need him, ping him here or follow him on Twitter @ShawnPaulWood.