Julia Louis-Dreyfus is weighing in on comedians who say political correctness affects their comedy.
The VEEP star is not opposed to being sensitive to certain topics and doesn’t think being politically correct threatens comedy.
“If you look back on comedy and drama both, let’s say 30 years ago, through the lens of today, you might find bits and pieces that don’t age well,” Dreyfus told The New York Times in an interview. “And I think to have an antenna about sensitivities is not a bad thing. It doesn’t mean that all comedy goes out the window as a result.”
She continued, “When I hear people starting to complain about political correctness — and I understand why people might push back on it — but to me that’s a red flag, because it sometimes means something else. I believe being aware of certain sensitivities is not a bad thing. I don’t know how else to say it.”
Dreyfus’s comments come after her Seinfeld co-star, Jerry Seinfeld, said the “extreme left” was ruining comedy on TV.
“It used to be, you would get home at the end of the day and most people would say, ‘Oh, Cheers is on. MASH is on. Mary Tyler Moore is on. All in the Family is on,’” Seinfeld said on The New Yorker Radio Hour podcast. “You just expected, ‘There’ll be some funny stuff we can watch on TV tonight.’ Well, guess what? Where is it? This is the result of the extreme left, and PC crap, and people worrying so much about offending other people.”
Dreyfus didn’t directly address Seinfeld’s remarks on political correctness and on the contrary to her former co-star said it was “fantastic.”
“Of course, I reserve the right to boo anyone who says anything that offends me while also respecting their right to free speech,” she added.
The post Julia Louis-Dreyfus Says Comedians Complaining About Political Correctness Is A “Red Flag”: “Being Aware Of Certain Sensitivities Is Not A Bad Thing” appeared first on Deadline.
