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Jerry Seinfeld — news, coverage & facts — IJR

1998–2010: Established career

After he ended his sitcom, Seinfeld moved back to New York City and returned to stand-up comedy instead of staying in Los Angeles and furthering his acting career. In 1998, he went on tour and recorded a comedy special, titled I'm Telling You for the Last Time. The process of developing and performing new material at clubs around the world was chronicled in a 2002 documentary, Comedian, which also featured fellow comic Orny Adams and was directed by Christian Charles. Seinfeld has written several books, mostly archives of past routines. In the late 1990s, Apple Computer came up with the advertising slogan "Think different" and produced a 60-second commercial to promote the slogan. This commercial showed people who were able to "think differently", such as Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and many others. It was later cut short to 30 seconds and altered such that Seinfeld was included at the end, although he had not been in the original cut. This shorter version of the commercial aired only once, during the series finale of Seinfeld.

In 2004, Seinfeld appeared in two commercial webisodes promoting American Express, titled The Adventures of Seinfeld & Superman. In these, Seinfeld appeared with a cartoon rendering of Superman, to whom reference was made in numerous episodes of Seinfeld as Seinfeld's hero, voiced by Patrick Warburton (character David Puddy on Seinfeld). The webisodes were directed by Barry Levinson and aired briefly on television. Seinfeld and "Superman" were also interviewed by Matt Lauer in a specially recorded interview for the Today show. Also that year, Seinfeld appeared at the National Museum of American History to donate the "puffy shirt" he wore in the Seinfeld episode of the same name. He joked it was "the most embarrassing moment in the history of the Smithsonian... a new low," but that he was proud of the honor. In 2006, Seinfeld had a cameo appearance on Saturday Night Live as host Julia Louis-Dreyfus' assassin. Louis-Dreyfus in her opening monologue mentioned the "Seinfeld curse". While talking about how ridiculous the "curse" was, a stage light suddenly fell next to her. The camera moved to a catwalk above the stage where Seinfeld was standing, holding a large pair of bolt cutters. He angrily muttered, "Damn it!" upset that it did not hit her. Louis-Dreyfus continued to say that she is indeed not cursed.

Seinfeld appeared at the 79th Academy Awards in 2007 as the presenter for Best Documentary. Before announcing the nominations, he did a monologue about the unspoken agreement between movie theater owners and movie patrons. On October 4, 2007, Seinfeld made a guest appearance as himself in the 30 Rock episode "SeinfeldVision". On February 24, 2008, at the 80th Academy Awards, Seinfeld appeared as the voice of his Bee Movie animated character Barry, presenting Best Animated Short Film. Before announcing the nominees, he showed a montage of film clips featuring bees, saying that they were some of his early work (as Barry).

Amidst his spring 2008 tour, Seinfeld performed in his hometown of New York City for a one-night-only show at the Hammerstein Ballroom to benefit Stand Up for a Cure, a charity aiding lung cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. That fall, Seinfeld became the pitchman for Windows Vista, as part of a $300-million advertising campaign by Microsoft. The ads, which were intended to create interest for Windows in support of the subsequent "I'm a PC" advertisements, were cut from television after three installments; Microsoft opted to continue with the "I'm a PC" advertisements and run the Seinfeld ads on the Microsoft website as a series of longer advertisements. In 2009, Seinfeld and the entire cast of Seinfeld appeared for a reunion in Larry David's HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm. The fictional reunion took place in the seventh season's finale and starred most of the original cast, including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, Michael Richards, in a multiple-episode arc. Seinfeld appeared on an episode of the Starz original series Head Case. As was the case in many of his previous guest appearances on sitcoms, he played himself.

In Australia, Seinfeld appeared on a series of advertisements for the Greater Building Society, a building society based in New South Wales and southeastern Queensland. His appearance in these ads was highly publicized and considered a coup for the society, being the third time Seinfeld had appeared in a television commercial. The advertisements were filmed in Cedarhurst, Long Island, with the street designed to emulate Beaumont Street in Hamilton, where the Greater's head offices are located. Seinfeld also wrote the scripts for the 15 advertisements that were filmed. The ads largely aired in the Northern New South Wales television market, where the society has most of its branches. Seinfeld was the first guest on Jay Leno's talk show The Jay Leno Show, which premiered on September 14, 2009. Seinfeld was featured on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update sketch to do the "Really!?!" segment with Seth Meyers. He executive produced and regularly appeared as a panelist in The Marriage Ref. In 2010, Seinfeld made a surprise guest appearance on The Howard Stern Show, ending the feud the two had in the early 1990s.

Seinfeld toured the U.S. in 2011 and made his first stand-up appearance in the United Kingdom in 11 years. That same year, he was a surprise guest on The Daily Show, helping Jon Stewart to suppress his urge to tell "cheap" "Michele Bachmann's husband acts gay" jokes. Seinfeld also launched a personal archives website at JerrySeinfeld.com, and appeared in the HBO special Talking Funny with fellow comedians Chris Rock, Louis C.K., and Ricky Gervais in the same year.

2011–present: Talk show and expansion

In 2012, Seinfeld started a web series titled Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, in which he would pick up a fellow comedian in a different car every episode and take them out for coffee and conversation. The show originally aired on the Crackle streaming service and then was bought by Netflix. The initial series consisted of ten episodes lasting from 7 to 25 minutes each. The show has continued to get high-profile guests such as Alec Baldwin, Mel Brooks, Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, Louis C.K., Larry David, Ellen DeGeneres, Tina Fey, David Letterman, Jerry Lewis, Steve Martin, John Mulaney, Eddie Murphy, Carl Reiner, Don Rickles, Chris Rock, Howard Stern, and Jon Stewart. The show has also hosted Seinfeld alums Larry David, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards. Season seven featured its most high-profile guest, then-President Barack Obama. In a farewell tribute video for the Obamas before the President left office, Seinfeld stated, "That knocking on the Oval Office window. That probably was the peak of my entire existence."

In 2014, Seinfeld told David Letterman he invited Woody Allen to be on the show but hadn't heard back. That same year he also revealed Joan Rivers was supposed to be a guest on the show before she died due to a botched medical procedure. Seinfeld signed a deal with Netflix in January 2017 that included placing Seinfeld and Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee on their streaming service as well as two new Seinfeld stand-up specials and the development of scripted and non-scripted comedy programming. As part of the deal, all episodes of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee were made available on the streaming service, in addition to a new 24-episode season. The series was nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards and won three Webby Awards.

In 2013, Seinfeld appeared on rapper Wale's album The Gifted, on the song "Outro About Nothing". Seinfeld received coverage for his speech at the 2014 Clio Awards ceremony, where he received an honorary award, as media reporters said that he "mocked" and "ripped apart" the advertising industry; his statement that "I love advertising because I love lying" received particular attention. In 2014, Seinfeld hosted the special Don Rickles: One Night Only at the Apollo Theatre. The event celebrated Don Rickles and his career, but also served as a roast among friends. Those who participated in the event included Jon Stewart, David Letterman, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Nathan Lane, Regis Philbin, Robert De Niro, and Martin Scorsese. In 2015, Seinfeld made a guest appearance on the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special, where he hosted the "Questions from the Audience" segment, which included cameos from Michael Douglas, John Goodman, James Franco, Larry David, Ellen Cleghorne, Dakota Johnson, Tim Meadows, Bob Odenkirk, and Sarah Palin (who Seinfeld initially mistook for Tina Fey). Seinfeld then made a guest appearance on David Letterman's final Late Show episode. Seinfeld joined guests including Alec Baldwin, Barbara Walters, Steve Martin, Jim Carrey, Chris Rock, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Peyton Manning, Tina Fey, and Bill Murray who all participated in The Top Ten List segment, "Things I've Always Wanted to Say to Dave".

In 2017, Seinfeld went on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and joined Dave Chappelle and Jimmy Fallon in honoring outgoing First Lady Michelle Obama, and played a game of Catchphrase, which Obama and Fallon won to Seinfeld's dismay. On September 19, 2017, Netflix released the stand-up comedy special Jerry Before Seinfeld. It follows Seinfeld as he returns for a stand-up routine at the New York City comedy club, Comic Strip Live, which started his career. It is intercut with documentary clips and his stand-up special. It was later released as an LP, CD and download album, and was nominated for a 2018 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. In 2020, it was announced that Netflix would be releasing Seinfeld's first original stand-up special in 22 years, 23 Hours to Kill. The special premiered on May 5. In October 2020, Seinfeld joined Steve Martin in a discussion about comedy at The New Yorker Festival. They discussed subjects ranging from the creative process, Netflix, and The Oscars, to their comedy backgrounds, and the future of comedy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2024 he directed, co-wrote, and produced in the Netflix comedy film Unfrosted, a satirical spoof about the creation of Pop-Tarts. Seinfeld also starred in the film alongside Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, and Hugh Grant. The film earned mixed reviews with The Hollywood Reporter writing the film received a "sharply divided reaction from critics". The New York Times labeled it a "Critic's Pick" with Anne Nicholson describing it as a "full-fledged, fully ridiculous feature comedy targeted to the audience's sweet-and-salty dopamine receptors". David Ehrlich of IndieWire wrote that the "comedy never heats up" and "it's a movie about so many different things at once that it comes to feel like a movie about nothing". Seinfeld appeared as a guest on John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA where he joked that it was "the weirdest talk show I've ever been on in my life". He also embarked on a new tour starting with his first show in Singapore in June 2024 followed by a number of stops in Australia and North America. Seinfeld returned to Curb Your Enthusiasm in its final season reuniting with Larry David where they poked fun at the controversial ending of Seinfeld. Ben Travers of IndieWire wrote, "If the Curb finale is meant to rewrite the Seinfeld ending in any way, it's during that first scene between Jerry and Larry. They're playing out the kind of scene they used to write for Jerry and George, and getting that silly, joyful spark between two TV legends – even for a moment – is pure bliss".

Relationships and marriage

Years before Seinfeld was created, Seinfeld dated Carol Leifer. She was a fellow comedian, and one of the inspirations for the Seinfeld character Elaine Benes. On national television with sex therapist and talk show host Dr. Ruth Westheimer, he mentioned that he was engaged in 1984 but called it off.

In May 1993, then 39-year-old Seinfeld met Shoshanna Lonstein in Central Park and asked for her phone number. At the time, Lonstein was a 17-year-old senior year high school student, at Nightingale-Bamford School in Manhattan, later celebrating her 18th birthday on May 29. As Seinfeld described their relationship during this time on The Howard Stern Show: "I didn't realize she was so young. This is the only girl I ever went out with who was that young. I wasn't dating her. We just went to a restaurant, and that was it." After several months of correspondence, Seinfeld and Lonstein began a relationship in September 1993, while Lonstein was attending George Washington University. Seinfeld and Lonstein dated for approximately four years, until 1997. She transferred from Washington University to UCLA, in part to be with him, ultimately citing constant press coverage and missing New York City as reasons for the relationship ending.

In August 1998, while at a Reebok Sports Club, Seinfeld met Jessica Sklar, a public relations executive for Tommy Hilfiger who had just returned from a three-week honeymoon in Italy with then-husband Eric Nederlander, a theatrical producer and scion of a theater-owning family. Unaware of Sklar's marital status, Seinfeld invited her out. When Sklar eventually told Seinfeld about her relationship situation, she said, "I told him I didn't think this was the right time for me to be involved with anybody." Two months later, Sklar filed for divorce and began dating Seinfeld. The pair married on December 25, 1999. Comedian George Wallace was the best man at the wedding. After the nuptials, Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld bought Billy Joel's house in Amagansett, New York, for US$32 million after news of the couple's interest in the property became public in 2000. The Seinfelds have a daughter and two sons.

Wealth and charity

In 1999, Seinfeld auctioned a Breitling Chronomat watch as part of the "Famous Faces, Watch Auction For Charity" event in New York City. This watch sold for $11,000. In 2000, Seinfeld and his family established the Seinfeld Scholarship Program, which provided scholarships to graduates of New York City public high schools. In 2001, Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld created the charitable organization Good+Foundation after their first child was born. Good+Foundation grants donations of products and services to programs that have demonstrated a capacity to address family poverty in three focus areas: supporting new mothers, investing in early childhood, and engaging fathers. GOOD+ Foundation has donated over $42M worth of items through its partner network across the United States. Seinfeld has also participated in Jon Stewart's charity event, Night of Too Many Stars. In 2008, Forbes reported that Seinfeld donated $3 million to charitable organizations, including the American Red Cross, Autism Speaks, and Scholarship America.

According to Forbes magazine, Seinfeld's cumulative earnings from Seinfeld as of 2004 were $267 million, placing him at the top of the celebrity earnings list that year. He turned down $5 million per episode, for 22 episodes, to continue the show for a 10th season. Seinfeld earned $100 million from syndication deals and stand-up performances in 2004, and $60 million in 2006. He also earned $10 million for appearing with Bill Gates in Microsoft's 2008 advertisements for Windows. Between June 2008 and June 2009, Seinfeld earned $85 million, making him the world's highest-paid comedian during those 12 months. In 2013, Forbes documented Seinfeld's annual income as $32 million. In mid-2013, Seinfeld disputed Forbes's claims regarding his income and net worth on The Howard Stern Show. Seinfeld was ranked by Forbes the highest-paid comedian for 2015, the second-highest-paid in 2016, and the highest-paid again in 2017. Seinfeld's income between June 2016 and June 2017 was $69 million.

In 2024, Bloomberg declared Seinfeld a billionaire, with a net worth standing at more than US$1 billion, thanks to various syndication deals his sitcom signed, with $465 million coming from those deals, making him one of the richest celebrities.

Religion and politics

Seinfeld is Jewish and has incorporated elements of his Jewish identity in his work. Although he shared that his mother was born into a large family of Syrian Orthodox Jews, he admitted to being non-religious himself. Seinfeld stated that he took a Scientology course when he was in his 20s; he said that he found it interesting but that he did not pursue it any further.

Seinfeld expressed support for Israel during the Gaza war, saying "I will always stand with Israel and the Jewish people." In December 2023, Seinfeld traveled to Israel with his family, where he met with freed hostages and representatives of hostage families at the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum headquarters in Tel Aviv. The forum said he had expressed a commitment to raising international awareness of the hostages. He described his trip to Israel as "the most powerful experience" in his life. On May 12, 2024, Seinfeld gave a commencement address and received an honorary degree at Duke University. During his speech, a number of students booed, waved Palestinian flags and walked out in protest. In June 2024, Seinfeld was heckled by protesters during a comedy show in Sydney, Australia. Seinfeld responded joking, "You're really influencing everyone here. We're all on your side now, because you've made your point so well, and in the right venue, you've come to the right place for a political conversation". A similar incident occurred at a later show in Melbourne, where he told a pro-Palestinian heckler that "You need to go back and tell whoever is running your organisation (that) 'we just gave more money to a Jew.'" In February 2025, Seinfeld was approached outside an event by an influencer who asked for a selfie and then — instead of a photo — held up a peace sign and said "Free Palestine." When asked to repeat the phrase, Seinfeld shook his head and replied: "I don't care about Palestine."

Seinfeld has expressed his distaste for what he calls political correctness. In 2015, Seinfeld stated that he avoids performing on college campuses because students have become too easily offended by his comedic routines. In a 2024 interview with The New Yorker, Seinfeld claimed political correctness was destroying comedy, saying: "It used to be, you would go home at the end of the day, most people would go, 'Oh, Cheers is on. Oh, M*A*S*H is on. Oh, Mary Tyler Moore is on. All in the Family is on.' You just expected, There'll be some funny stuff we can watch on TV tonight. Well, guess what—where is it? This is the result of the extreme left and PC crap, and people worrying so much about offending other people. Now they're going to see stand-up comics because we are not policed by anyone. The audience polices us. We know when we’re off track. We know instantly and we adjust to it instantly. But when you write a script and it goes into four or five different hands, committees, groups – 'Here's our thought about this joke.' – Well, that's the end of your comedy." In that same interview, when asked if there was ever an episode of Seinfeld that "went too far", he pointed to the episode The Bookstore: "We would write a different joke with Kramer and the rickshaw today. We wouldn't do that joke. We'd come up with another joke. They [the culture] move the gates like in the slalom...the gates are moving. Your job [as a comedian] is to be agile and clever enough that, wherever they put the gates, I'm going to make the gate." Months later, he walked back those comments on the "Breaking Bread" podcast, claiming he mispoke: He stated: "...I did an interview with The New Yorker. And I said that the extreme left has suppressed the art of comedy. I did say that. That's not true... If you're Lindsey Vonn, if you're a champion skier, you can put the gates anywhere you want on the mountain. She's going to make the gate. That's comedy. Whatever the culture is, we make the gate. You don't make the gate you're out of the game... So, I don't think, as I said, the extreme left has done anything to inhibit the art of comedy. I'm taking that back now officially. They have not. Do you like it? Maybe? Maybe, not? It's not my business to like or not like where the culture is at. It's my business to make the gate..."

On September 9, 2025, speaking at Duke University at an event with Omer Shem Tov, Seinfeld characterized the "Free Palestine" movement as antisemitic and compared it to the Ku Klux Klan, saying "Free Palestine is, to me, just — you're free to say you don't like Jews. Just say you don't like Jews." He added, "By saying Free Palestine, you're not admitting what you really think. So it's actually — compared to the Ku Klux Klan, I'm actually thinking the Klan is actually a little better here because they can come right out and say, 'We don't like Blacks, we don't like Jews.' Okay that's honest."

In June 2026, after an influencer asked Seinfeld to say "free Palestine" outside Madison Square Garden following an NBA Finals game, Seinfeld replied "it doesn't exist."