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Julia Louis-Dreyfus is calling “bullshit” when it comes to comedy being hurt by political correctness. Speaking on the “On With Kara Swisher” podcast (via The Daily Beast), the Emmy winner pushed back against the idea that comedy has in any way suffered due to a changing social landscape that favors P.C. content over anything offensive.
“There’s a lot of talk about how comics can’t be funny now,” said Louis-Dreyfus. “I think that’s bullshit. Physical comedy and intellectual comedy and political comedy, I think, has never been more interesting, because there’s so much to do.”
“It’s a ripe time,” she added. “Comedy is risky and it can be offensive, but that’s what makes it so enjoyable. I personally don’t buy the conceit that this is an impossible time to be funny. Maybe some people aren’t laughing at your jokes, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be made.”
Louis-Dreyfus’ interview with Kara Swisher followed her profile in The New York Times from earlier this month in which she made headlines for saying it’s a “red flag” when comedians complain about political correctness. While she never mentioned her “Seinfeld” co-star Jerry Seinfeld by name, her interview was published soon after he went viral for blaming the “extreme left and P.C. culture” for killing TV comedy because “people [are now] worrying so much about offending other people.”
“To have an antenna about sensitivities is not a bad thing,” Louis-Dreyfus told The Times. “It doesn’t mean that all comedy goes out the window as a result. When I hear people starting to complain about political correctness — and I understand why people might push back on it — but to me that’s a red flag, because it sometimes means something else.”
Seinfeld gave his divisive comments to The New Yorker while promoting his directorial effort “Unfrosted.” He said that comedy fans were now choosing to see stand-up comedians over watching TV comedy shows 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.”
