Jerry Seinfeld thinks clowns have a problem; he’s cool with Crackle, though

Jerry Seinfeld is one of those classic throwback stand-up comedians who, like Bill Cosby, still prefers to deliver stand-up standing up at the microphone before sitting down to panel chat on a late-night TV talk show.

So, that’s nice.

It’s funny weird but also understandable to see that Jimmy Fallon introduced Seinfeld on last night’s Late Night as the star of the webseries “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” and not the guy who made billions of dollars for himself and NBC as the star of Seinfeld. Talk shows are as much about plugging commercial enterprises, if not more so, than about talking. You want people talking for seemingly no reason? I’ve got a billion podcasts for you to listen to you. Or try “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.” Either way. Anyway.

Here is Seinfeld’s set from last night, which covers his feelings about children, golf and whispering. Roll the clip.

I could talk about, this, too, but I’m really burying the lede because Seinfeld’s more interesting comments perhaps come afterward, during his panel chat with Fallon.

https://www.hulu.com/watch/502513

Why would billionaire comedian Jerry Seinfeld even be trifling himself with a webseries, and a second season at that? Billionaires trifle. It’s just another of their luxuries.

But here is what Seinfeld told Fallon and the audience:

“Crackle is the company that made this show happen. I talked to them about it. It’s this cool little group of people in the Sony corporation. And they enabled me to make the show. And then Acura company came in, and they took it from there. But that’s the only reason that that show exists. I wanted to thank them.”

Thanks? Sony, of course, also is the corporation that has made all of that Seinfeld money for Seinfeld and for Sony. Acura is just along for the ride.

There also was a clip there of David Letterman appearing on Seinfeld’s webseries — which follows through on a challenge thrown down by Letterman when Seinfeld appeared on Late Show back in February.

OK.

But what does Seinfeld think about clowns? Not much. If you want someone to perpetuate the every comedian is a sad clown mystique, then perhaps Seinfeld is your guy. Here’s what he had to say about clowns, within the context of a joke at the expense of the circus, after making fun of minivan stickers and before mocking the idea of today’s “reality” television (which only a couple of years ago showcased his own idea, The Marriage Ref).

“The clowns are funny! I will say that, as a comedian. The clowns are funny. But no one is laughing, because we know, that deep underneath all of that, there is a man who is not right. Is not right.”

“We don’t know what the problem is, but when I see a clown, I just want to grab him and go, ‘Stop lying. Start dealing. You gotta wash your face, take in your pants. You’ve got to face life. Face it! Yes. The circus is not a solution.”

https://www.hulu.com/watch/502514

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

View all posts by Sean L. McCarthy →