Jerry Seinfeld Reveals the Moment He Knew It Was Time to Walk Away From 'Seinfeld'
Oct. 1 2021, Published 2:48 p.m. ET
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As one of the biggest television shows to ever grace the small screen, Seinfeld has continued to have a significant impact on pop culture even after the final episode aired in 1998. Often described as a "show about nothing," the scripted comedy followed four single friends — Jerry Seinfeld, George Costanza (Jason Alexander), Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards) — who navigated the craziness of everyday life in New York City.
The show aired for 180 episodes over nine seasons, and millions of fans were sad when it came to a close at the height of its popularity. But why did the Emmy-winning series suddenly end?
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld opened up to reporters about making the decision in his dressing room one day. Keep reading to find out more!
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Why did 'Seinfeld' end? Jerry Seinfeld talks about the moment he knew it was time to wrap the series.
"I remember when I was in the ninth season and I was thinking maybe it's time to wrap this up, and I remember inviting Michael [Richards] and Julia [Louis-Dreyfus] and Jason [Alexander] to my dressing room and we all just sat there and we stared at each other," he said during a press conference on Sept. 29, 2021.
"I went, ‘I was thinking maybe this is our moment to make a good exit.’ We've had a lot of good fortune here. Maybe we shouldn't push our luck too far. And we all agreed that this was the right moment," he continued. "And I remember it's the only time we all got together in a dressing room, the four of us, to make that decision. That was powerful, I remember that… I remember because as soon as we all agreed, that was it. You know, if the four of us agreed, I know it wasn't going to go further."
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The 67-year-old recalled a cab driver once asking him why the show had ended even though it was still very successful.
"I said to him, well, I was at a point we had done it for nine years and I realized I could go off the air right now and the show could be a legend. I could be a legend of the sitcom world or I could make some more money. I could risk that to make some more money. I said, what would you do? He said, 'I'd go for legend.' I said, Yeah, that's what I thought," he told reporters. "So we went for a legend."
Seinfeld is now available to stream on Netflix.