Seinfeld star Julia Louis-Dreyfus says it's a red flag for her if people push back against political correctness

American actress and comedian Julia Louis-Dreyfus recently shared her thoughts on political correctness and having "an antenna about sensitivities" following Jerry Seinfeld's take on the "extreme left" ruining comedy.

On Saturday, June 8, 2024, the 63-year-old appeared in an interview with The New York Times to promote her latest film, Tuesday. The Seinfeld alum talked about the recent debate on political jokes and sensitivities, saying,

"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."

Julia said that when it comes to political correctness if it equates to tolerance, it is "obviously fantastic." She also mentioned that the true threat to art is "the consolidation of money and power," not the PC backlash.

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus gives her opinion on criticism in comedy

Julia Louis-Dreyfus stars as a mother named Zora in a new fantasy drama film about her and her daughter Tuesday, played by Lola Petticrew, as they confront Death when it arrives in the form of a talking bird.

During promotions, the actress sat down with the New York Times as she weighed in on the topic of political correctness and a comedian's right to freedom of speech. Julia Louis-Dreyfus talked about the difference in comedy over the years, saying,

"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. 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."

Julia Louis-Dreyfus added that it was a "red flag" for her if people complained about political correctness, as it could have different meanings. She also explained that it was not about criticism from the audience or a content standpoint but rather from the larger corporatization of entertainment.

The actress claimed that she "of course" reserves "the right to boo anyone who says anything that offends me while also respecting their right to free speech, right?"

"But the bigger problem and I think the true threat to art and the creation of art, is the consolidation of money and power. All this siloing of studios and outlets and streamers and distributors, I don’t think it’s good for the creative voice. So, that’s what I want to say in terms of the threat to art," she added.

The interview follows after her Seinfeld co-star Jerry Seinfeld broached the topic in conversation with The New Yorker Radio Hour podcast. He gave his opinion that PC culture is harming TV comedy shows.

"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 cr*p, and people worrying so much about offending other people," he said.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, however, insisted in the NY Times interview that the culture and tastes have changed. The star shared that she could not judge if the new time is "better or not."

"I just know that the lens through which we create art today — and I'm not going to just specify it to comedy, it's also drama — it's a different lens. It really is. Even classically wonderful, indisputably great films from the past are riddled with attitudes that today would not be acceptable. So I think it's just good to be vigilant," she added.

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Tuesday was released on June 7, 2024, on Prime Video.