Julia Louis-Dreyfus said in a recent interview with Rolling Stone that the media invented the “Seinfeld curse,” a term which was used to describe the alleged lack of success for “Seinfeld” stars Jerry Seinfeld, Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards and Jason Alexander following the end of the iconic NBC sitcom.
“I think any time a project ends, it’s gutting for me,” Louis-Dreyfus said. “And that’s true of movies and TV shows. There is a focus and a camaraderie that’s very much present when you’re working hard on a project that you believe in, and when the circus leaves town, it’s a huge transition. There’s a real feeling of sadness for me. ‘Where did all my buddies go?’ ‘Where are my friends?'”
When Rolling Stone brought up the curse, Louis-Dreyfus added: “It was invented by the media. They thought it was clever. You don’t need me to prove it wrong, it was ridiculous! It made no sense. I was amazed that it had legs, because it was so moronic. I don’t know how else to say it!”
The curse originated after several of the cast’s post-“Seinfeld” sitcoms bombed. Richards’ “The Michael Richards Show” only lasted eight episodes on NBC, while Alexander’s ABC sitcom “Bob Patterson” and CBS sitcom “Listen Up!” both lasted only one season. Louis-Dreyfus’ NBC comedy “Watching Ellie” fared just a tad better by running for two seasons before being canceled for low ratings.
It was the success of Louis-Dreyfus’ “The New Adventures of Old Christine” that led many to believe the curse had been broken. The CBS sitcom ran for five seasons and won Louis-Dreyfus an Emmy in 2006. She proclaimed during her speech: “I’m not somebody who really believes in curses, but curse this, baby!” Louis-Dreyfus would go on to earn six more Emmys for her performance on HBO’s beloved political satire “Veep.”
“Seinfeld” co-creator Larry David has long blasted the idea of a curse, once telling Esquire magazine: “Are you crazy? It’s so annoying to hear something like that. There was no curse. It’s crazy. So there were two TV shows attempted that didn’t work? Big deal. How many TV shows work?… A curse? It’s so absurd. That’s the most idiotic notion.”
All episodes of “Seinfeld” are now streaming on Netflix.
