The emotional reason Jerry Seinfeld turned down $100 million

The comic rejected the most lucrative deal in TV history

The emotional reason Jerry Seinfeld turned down $100 million
Stars Insider

16/08/18 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Jerry seinfeld

Jerry Seinfeld became a household name for his hit sitcom and unforgettable stand-up routines. While 'Seinfeld' is undoubtedly one of the most important TV shows in entertainment history, behind-the-scenes the star was sick of it. How sick of it? Enough to turn down the most lucrative deal in television history.

Warren Littlefield, a top network executive at NBC previously revealed that they offered Seinfeld a whopping $5 million per episode to do another season, which would equate to $100 million total.

“What we put on the table was unheard of. We went in there with a staggering sum and there was tremendous confidence that no one could walk away from it,” Littlefield said, according to News.com.au 

Now, 20 years later, in an interview with the New York Times, Seinfeld opened up about his business deal with NBC, saying he doesn't regret his history-making rejection in the slightest. “It was the perfect moment, and the proof that it was the right moment is the number of questions you’re still asking me about it. The most important word in art is ‘proportion’. How much? How long is this joke going to be? How many words? How many minutes? And getting that right is what makes it art or what makes it mediocre,” Seinfeld said.

Though this may break the hearts of comedy lovers everywhere, Seinfeld went on to say that he refuses to watch re-runs of his show on TV. “I think there’s a level of focus you need to get something to a certain point creatively, and you pay a price for that, which is you can’t ever look at it again,” he said.

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