
 
 
 
 Jerry Seinfeld made headlines earlier this week when he revealed in a radio interview that he no longer performs at college campuses because of the political correctness. While Seinfeld is known for being a clean comedian, who doesn’t use profanity in his routines and rarely delves into controversial topics, he thinks the obsession with being politically correct hurts comedy as a whole. 
 
 When Seinfeld stopped by Late Night on Tuesday night, host Seth Meyers engaged him on the topic along with New Yorker editor David Remnick, who was also on the show. Seinfeld held his line saying that there is a “creepy P.C. thing out there that really bothers” him, using an example of one of his jokes whose punchline is about a “gay French king.” He’s seemingly worried that it is becoming inappropriate for him to suggest that gay people “move their hands in a flourishing motion.” He feels that the lines of what is and is not politically correct are being constantly moved inwards, to the detriment of comedy. 
 
 It was nice of Seinfeld to stick around for the conversation, because earlier in the episode he made it clear that he did not want to be on the show at all: 
 
 Read next: Watch Jerry Seinfeld and Julia Louis-Dreyfus Having a Mini Seinfeld Reunion 
 
 Sign up for THE BRIEF and more view example 
 
 Listen to the most important stories of the day. ||||| This is a set of web collections curated by Mark Graham using the Archive-IT service of the Internet Archive. They include web captures of the ISKME.org website as well as captures from sites hosted by IGC.org.These web captures are available to the general public.For more information about this collection please feel free to contact Mark via Send Mail ||||| When one of the most famous and beloved entertainers on the planet says he won’t perform for college students — a demographic practically hardwired to fawn over celebrities of even questionable talent — it’s a little like Derek Jeter saying he hates playing in the Bronx, or Billy Graham revealing he never felt quite welcome in the South. 
 
 But that’s what comedian Jerry Seinfeld just told ESPN’s Colin Cowherd: he doesn’t play colleges, where you’d think someone of his stature and his pop culture relevance would be appreciated, if not worshiped. 
 
 If Mahmoud Ahmadinejad can play Columbia, and Rand Paul can play Howard University, what keeps Jerry Seinfeld from going into far friendlier territory? 
 
 College students today are just too politically correct. 
 
 Worse, he says they don’t even understand the political things about which they are straining to be correct. 
 
 "They just want to use these words," he said. Like, "‘That’s racist;’ ‘That’s sexist;’ ‘That’s prejudice.’ They don’t know what the f-k they’re talking about." 
 
 He’s not alone. According to Cowherd, Larry the Cable Guy won’t play colleges, and Chris Rock has also said he doesn’t because everything there is taken as offensive. 
 
 It’s an astute observation by Seinfeld, who made a career out of observational comedy ("Why do they call it a ‘building?’ It looks like they’re finished. Why isn’t it a ‘built’?") 
 
 Indeed, it must be jarring for a boomer like Seinfeld, who went to college in the early 70s, when students were debating real issues freely, to confront today’s college campuses, where students often invent issues about which to be aggrieved, many times on behalf of other parties, and then have to find "free speech zones" in which to discuss them. 
 
 Consider the uproar over a statue of a man talking to a woman at a Texas college, which some decided was a depiction of "mansplaining," or a man patronizingly explaining something to a woman. Paul Tadlock, the 79-year-old sculptor, said the piece — done for 20 years before its offense was "discovered" — merely depicted his daughter, a student at the time, talking to a friend. 
 
 Then there were the students at UC-Berkeley, who called for "an occupation of syllabi in the social sciences and humanities," which sounds serious. Rodrigo Kazuo and Meg Perret felt aggrieved that a classical philosophy course had the audacity to cover actual thought leaders from classical philosophy, including Plato and Aristotle — because they all happened to be white men. 
 
 And earlier this year a male student at Portland, Oregon’s Reed College was removed from the discussion portion of his freshman humanities class for questioning the statistics on college sexual assaults and challenging whether or not there is such a thing as a "rape culture." 
 
 Why on earth would a comedian like Seinfeld, whose career has focused on humorously pointing out absurdities bring his act to such an utterly humorless and incorrigibly politically correct setting? 
 
 In the past few years, Seinfeld’s confronted levels of political correctness that would have likely made his show an impossibility today. Last year, he was asked why the show featured so many white men and he responded, "People think [COMEDY]is the census or something, it’s got to represent the actual pie chart of America. Who cares?" 
 
 His boredom for these kinds of inquiries is palpable and understandable. The genius of the show, of course, was in Seinfeld and Larry David’s obsession with crossing the arbitrary and meaningless lines of "civil society" that demarcated what you were and were not supposed to say in polite company. 
 
 But imagine the hyperventilating headlines if "Seinfeld" aired fresh today: 
 
 Jerry ‘mansplains’ feminism to Elaine! 
 
 George's anti-Asian microaggressions! 
 
 Kramer stereotypes pimps! 
 
 Elaine slutshames braless friend! 
 
 Seinfeld’s distaste for college audiences is understandable, but lamentable. These are exactly the crowds who need to be shown how infantile their uninformed twitches at self-serious activism are. 
 
 But if "Seinfeld," the show, detested anything more than political correctness, it was altruism. As Jerry once said of the true spirit of Christmas, it’s "people being helped by people other than me." 
 
 So let’s hope someone else steps in to teach college students how to take themselves less seriously. 
 
 Contact Cupp at www.thesecupp.com ||||| Jerry Seinfeld: “Portlandia” is “beyond brilliant” — “easily one of the best comedies of all time" 
 
 Seinfeld, who was just in Portland shooting "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" with Fred Armisen, says: “I’m kind of obsessed with ‘Portlandia' right now,” adding that “I think that’s the best comedy on TV right now." 
 
 
 
 Teresa and Joe Giudice will talk about their prison sentence on “Watch What Happens Live” 
 
 The “Real Housewives of New Jersey” stars will give their first post-sentencing interview on Monday. PLUS: Inside the rise and fall of Teresa Giudice. 
 
 
 
 Katy Perry is coming to ESPN’s “College Gameday” 
 
 She’ll be the celebrity guest picker when “Gameday” broadcasts Saturday morning from the campus of Ole Miss. 
 
 
 
 Click Read Full Post For More 
 
 
 
 Viola Davis on “How to Get Away with Murder” posters: "“I see pressure. I’m aware that my booty is on the line” 
 
 “I have a certain level of fear about 'How to Get Away,'” she says of finally landing a leading role. “Fear of failure.” 
 
 
 
 Felicity Huffman is set to combat terrorists in an ABC pilot 
 
 The former “Desperate Housewives” star is close to playing a special agent who leads the New York City Joint Terrorism Task Force in a drama pilot from “CSI’s” Carol Mendelsohn. 
 
 
 
 WEtv bringing Heidi & Spencer back to reality TV 
 
 Former “Hills” stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt will appear on “Marriage Boot Camp Reality Stars.” 
 
 
 
 LAPD recovers the TV Academy’s stolen Ed Sullivan statue 
 
 The $45,000 statue was in good condition, but the police offered no details on how it was recovered. 
 
 
 
 Reese Witherspoon is now using Twitter to lobby Lena Dunham for a “Girls” cameo 
 
 "Hey @lenadunham all I gotta say is you write the script and I'm there girl! #Seriouslytho,” she tweeted this afternoon, days after telling Vogue of wanting to guest on the HBO series. 
 
 
 
 Quit with the Romcom Sitcoms! 
 
 Romcoms are in a movie rut, so now they’ve invaded television in the form of new shows “Selfie,” “A to Z” and “Manhattan Love Story.” PLUS: “You’re the Worst” ruined this fall’s new crop of romcoms. 
 
 
 
 Louisiana Governor: Stephen Colbert is “no Jon Stewart” 
 
 Gov. Bobby Jindal responded on Twitter to Colbert bashing him in a segment earlier this week. 
 
 
 
 Kathie Lee & Hoda Kotb to guest on WWE’s “Monday Night Raw” 
 
 The “Today” stars will appear Monday to promote Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 
 
 
 
 “Big Brother’s” Dick Donato thinks he got HIV from a stripper 
 
 “Evel Dick” says he had a fling with a stripper in Las Vegas. 
 
 
 
 Meet the legless actress playing Legless Suzy on “American Horror Story: Freak Show” 
 
 "I kind of like the way I am. I would never change it,” says Rose Siggins, whose legs were amputated when she was a small child. 
 
 
 
 Piper Kerman: An “exploration of faith is a big part” of “Orange is the New Black” Season 3 
 
 Kerman, speaking at the University of Massachusetts—Lowell, wouldn’t divulge any details. But she said there are “really amazing twists and turns” in store for the 3rd season. 
 
 
 
 “Dexter”-obsessed British teen gets 25 years in prison for killing and dismembering his girlfriend 
 
 Steven Miles was 16 when he murdered his 17-year-old girlfriend. 
 
 
 
 “Vampire Diaries” boss promises a “fun and fresh season” 
 
 "All the characters are going through all this crazy stuff that is really deeply rooted in their own emotional experience,” says Julie Plec. PLUS: What about that “Originals” crossover with Nina Dobrev, Joseph Morgan on Season 2 of “The Originals,” and a day in the life of Julie Plec. 
 
 
 
 “Homeland”: TV’s most bigoted show? 
 
 The Showtime series "carelessly traffics in absurd and damaging stereotypes,” especially when it comes to Muslims, argues Laura Durkay. 
 
 
 
 Is “Tom and Jerry” really racist? 
 
 As Lizzie Crocker notes, "There are plenty of other outdated stereotypes in 'Tom and Jerry'—sexist attitudes, for example—but Amazon chose to focus on race.” PLUS: Whoopi Goldberg forgets she voiced one of the “Tom and Jerry” warnings. 
 
 
 
 Alfonso Ribeiro will do “Fresh Prince’s” The Carlton Dance on “Dancing” 
 
 He’ll perform Monday to the Tom Jones classic "It's Not Unusual.” 
 
 
 
 When will “Grey’s Anatomy” reveal the sister secret? 
 
 Says Kelly McCreary: "She doesn't even really want to know Meredith at this point. They just don't get along. ... Under the circumstances, I think it'll take some kind of reconciliation between the two of them before Maggie can get to the point where she is willing to open up like that.” PLUS: 51 things you didn’t know about “Grey’s." 
 
 
 
 “The Walking Dead” rerun scores big on MyNetworkTV 
 
 The AMC series made its syndicated debut last night. 
 
 
 
 Is there too much TV nostalgia? 
 
 We may have reached peak media coverage of old TV shows, especially when there was tons of media coverage over the 10th anniversary of “Friends” ending in May, followed in September by tons of media coverage for the 20th anniversary of “Friends” beginning. 
 
 
 
 Weather Channel: Marketing gurus have nothing to do with our naming of storms 
 
 "Contrary to popular opinion the entire naming process is handled by a team of meteorologists, not marketing gurus,” explains a Weather Channel rep in response to criticism from Gawker. "Yes, there is certainly a goal to increase viewership, that is how a television network survives, but as the Winter Weather Expert please let me explain how we name storms.” 
 
 
 
 Why Ben McKenzie didn’t attend “O.C.” co-star Adam Brody’s wedding 
 
 Apparently Brody and his wife Leighton Meester wanted to keep their wedding “super low-profile.” 
 
 
 
 Introducing the “MasterChef Junior” Season 2 contestants 
 
 They’ll be on a new night, Tuesdays, starting Nov. 4. 
 
 
 
 “Big Bang’s” Johnny Galecki recently quit smoking 
 
 He tells Letterman about his life-long struggle with cigarettes. 
 
 
 
 “Buffy’s” Nicholas Brendon gets hitched 
 
 Brendon posted a pic of his Vegas wedding two days after announcing he had gotten engaged. 
 
 
 
 “A to Z’s” charm is considerable, even formidable 
 
 “If the leads are cleverly written and the two main actors are entertaining enough that you'd watch them solo but are even better when they're paired up, the show can seem to glide,” says Matt Zoller Seitz. “'A to Z' glides, mainly because its stars, 'Mad Men’s' Ben Feldman and 'How I Met Your Mother’s' Cristin Milioti, are a flat-out great couple, with an understated screwball energy that Howard Hawks would've known what to do with.” PLUS: “A to Z” feels different and modern because of the way it uses technology, this is a hopeless romcom with unlikable leads, Cristin Milioti did have some “HIMYM” concerns, and Milioti’s casting prompted Ben Feldman to sign on. 
 
 
 
 “Bad Judge” is definitely awful, but it could’ve been better before NBC defanged it 
 
 The Kate Walsh sitcom was originally supposed to be a dirty comedy in the vein of “Eastbound & Down,” but NBC hired a new showrunner to take away its point of view — and any trace of actual bad behavior. PLUS: What a waste of Kate Walsh, and everybody on the pretty solid cast deserves better. 
 
 
 
 Stop it with the “Broadchurch” comparisons — “Gracepoint” is quite good! 
 
 As Neil Genzlinger notes, very few “Gracepoint” viewers will have watched “Broadchurch”: “A new sport has arisen among people who write about television comparing the two series, with the American version generally coming up short because British television is always better than American television, isn’t it? ...But the universe of viewers who saw “Broadchurch” and will watch ‘Gracepoint' is fairly small and, anyway, if you have enough spare time to sit through the same story twice to compare nuances and accents and plot variations, you are to be pitied.” PLUS: “Gracepoint” is the latest in “Bummer TV,” “Gracepoint” is pratically a shot-for-shot remake of "Broadchurch," the carbon-copy storytelling is depressing, it’s like they dumbed-down “Broadchurch” for American viewers, “Gracepoint” feels almost too good for network TV, “Gracepoint” manages to be very good despite copying “Broadchurch,” Anna Gunn is happy to be on the right side of the law, and David Tennant says “Gracepoint” is aimed at those who never saw “Broadchurch."
– Jerry Seinfeld made some waves by telling ESPN radio this week that he doesn't do shows on college campuses anymore because students are too politically correct. He doubled down on Seth Meyers' show last night, complaining about the "creepy PC thing out there," an atmosphere in which people are more likely to take offense than laugh at a joke, reports Time. For example, he's got a line about how someone scrolling emphatically through his phone looks like a "gay French king," but he senses audience hesitation, apparently because it's offensive to suggest that gay people "move their hands in a flourishing motion.” At the Daily News, SE Cupp is sympathetic and understands why he'd shy away from colleges— but she thinks it's "lamentable" because "these are exactly the crowds who need to be shown how infantile their uninformed twitches at self-serious activism are." Cupp complains that students today shut down debate and "often invent issues about which to be aggrieved." If not Seinfeld, "let’s hope someone else steps in to teach college students how to take themselves less seriously." One of those students, meanwhile, has penned an open letter to Seinfeld at the Huffington Post suggesting that he needs to sharpen his act. Jokes today can no longer be offensive "for the sake of being offensive"—they need to be smart and provocative, too, writes Anthony Berteaux. (He cites Amy Schumer as someone who tackles edgy subjects well.) "So, yes, Mr. Seinfeld, we college students are politically correct," he writes. "We will call out sexism and racism if we hear it. But if you're going to come to my college and perform in front of me, be prepared to write up a set that doesn't just offend me, but has something to say." (Click to see what show Seinfeld thinks is "one of the best comedies of all time.")