Jerry Seinfeld has stirred up fresh debate over two of television’s biggest sitcoms after taking a playful but pointed swipe at “Friends” during a live appearance in Los Angeles.
The comedy icon joked that NBC copied the formula behind “Seinfeld” and simply replaced the cast with more attractive stars.
His remarks quickly reignited the longtime comparison between the two legendary series.
Jerry Seinfeld made the eyebrow-raising comments while appearing at the “Netflix Is a Joke” festival at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
During the event, the comedian reflected on the massive success of his own sitcom before joking that NBC borrowed the same formula when creating “Friends.”
“Here’s my theory on Friends,” Seinfeld said, per Variety. “ My show came on ’89, ’90. Friends came on a few years later.”
He then delivered the line that immediately got fans talking online: “I think NBC was watching my show and went, ‘Hey, this is working pretty well. Why don’t we try the same thing with good-looking people?’”
The comedian doubled down on the joke by adding, “And that was a pretty good idea. I think that kind of worked.”
Although the remark appeared lighthearted, it quickly reignited old arguments among sitcom fans who have spent decades debating which show had the bigger cultural impact.
Jerry Seinfeld Jokes About Watching Himself
The topic surfaced after Seinfeld asked audience members to guess his all-time favorite television series.
One fan shouted out “Seinfeld,” prompting the comedian to poke fun at the suggestion.
“Seinfeld? I am Seinfeld. Why would I watch Seinfeld?” he joked.
He then compared the idea to admiring yourself in the mirror every day.
“Would you go up to your bathroom mirror and go, ‘This is fantastic. I love this show. I’m in every episode.’”
Seinfeld never actually revealed what his favorite show was, though he acknowledged that fans guessing “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Breaking Bad” were on the right track.
The legendary comic co-created “Seinfeld” alongside Larry David, who later went on to create and star in HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
The NBC sitcom premiered in 1989 and ran until 1998, becoming one of the most successful comedy series in television history.
The show followed four single friends navigating life in New York City and starred Seinfeld alongside Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards.
Its final episode became a television event, drawing more than 76 million viewers in the United States alone.
‘Friends’ Became A Cultural Phenomenon Too
While Jerry Seinfeld’s comments sparked laughter, “Friends” built a television empire of its own after premiering in 1994.
The beloved sitcom followed six close friends living in Manhattan and quickly became a global obsession throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.
Jennifer Aniston led the cast as Rachel Green alongside Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, and the late Matthew Perry.
The sitcom ran for 10 seasons and continues to generate huge audiences decades after leaving the air.
In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked “Seinfeld” as the third greatest sitcom ever made while placing “Friends” at number 38 on its list of the 100 best sitcoms of all time.
Still, the financial success of “Friends” remains staggering.
The cast famously negotiated their contracts together, boosting their salaries from $22,500 per episode during the first season to $1 million each by the show’s final years.
In 2021, the stars reunited for an HBO Max special and reportedly earned around $2.5 million apiece for the nostalgic return.
Lisa Kudrow Reveals ‘Friends’ Still Makes Millions
Lisa Kudrow recently revealed that the money tied to “Friends” never truly stopped flowing.
Speaking to The Times, the actress admitted the show still generates enormous residual payments every year through syndication and streaming deals around the world.
According to Kudrow, the cast continues earning approximately $20 million annually.
She also reflected emotionally on revisiting the series after Matthew Perry’s death in October 2023.
“After Matthew died I watched the show again. Before, I only saw what I did wrong or could have done better, but for the first time I truly appreciated just how great it was,” Kudrow explained.
Lisa Kudrow Pays Emotional Tribute To Matthew Perry
Kudrow credited the show’s success to the chemistry between the cast members and the creative team behind the scenes.
“Because there was a genius at work. And whatever any of us do in the future, we will never experience something like that again.”
Kudrow also praised her co-stars while remembering Perry’s unforgettable comedic timing.
She said, “I felt I did OK, but Jennifer and Courteney? Amazing. David and Matt? They had me laughing so hard. And then Matthew – he was just beyond us all.”