Jerry Seinfeld discusses 'dominant masculinity' and societal changes.

Jerry Seinfeld recently shared his views on masculinity during an interview on the Honestly with Bari Weiss podcast. The comedian, now 70, reminisced about the structured hierarchies of his youth in the 1960s and the iconic figures he admired during that time.


Seinfeld, who is promoting his directorial debut movie Unfrosted, spoke on May 28 about the appeal of nostalgia and the comfort of well-defined societal roles. He stated, "There's another element there that I think is the key element, and that is an agreed upon hierarchy, which I think is absolutely vaporized in today's moment. I think that is why people lean on the horn and drive in the crazy way that they drive, because we have no sense of hierarchy. And as humans, we don't really feel comfortable like that."


The comedian continued by expressing his admiration for notable figures like President John F. Kennedy, boxer Muhammad Ali, actor Sean Connery, and sports broadcaster Howard Cosell, whom he described as "real" men. Seinfeld added, "You can go all the way down the line � that's a real man � I want to be like that someday. Well, no. I never really grew up, I mean, you don't want to, as a comedian, because it's a childish pursuit, but I miss a dominant masculinity. Yeah, I get the [toxic masculinity] but still, I like a real man."

Seinfeld's movie Unfrosted, set in 1963, revolves around the fictional invention of the Pop-Tart and is inspired by the Cold War and space era. It features nods to the '60s media, including cameos from Jon Hamm and John Slattery as advertising executives, reminiscent of Mad Men. The movie is currently available on Netflix.


Seinfeld also addressed his penchant for reading bad reviews, finding humor in them. "There's nothing funnier to me than people complaining 'I didn't laugh,' because they want to laugh," he said. "And I relate to it, I get it. I think it's funny that you hated it because you wanted to laugh and you didn't laugh."

Despite the criticism, Seinfeld remains unfazed. "It doesn't matter what you think of me," he added. "Why would I think that I'm going to make something that everyone will like? What sense does that make? You gotta be insane to think that."

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