First, we've gotta set the record straight ... Seinfeld was offensive in every way, shape or form. It doesn't change the fact that it was indeed hilarious. But, these days, as society has become a little more sensitive and understanding to so many broad subjects ... sometimes the show went a little overboard, if you will. We can most definitely say that now.
But back then, that's how trends were set, and in every business. The wrestling business was over the top both in intensity and content ... movies were extremely pushy and advanced for their time. And yes, that definitely goes for today, although when you're the first to do something, you often get reminded of it for the rest of your career ... and if you were as big as Jerry and the troupe were, then you'll hear about it forever. The show was no doubt iconic and many classic episodes comprise its 8 season legacy; of course not without a little controversy thrown in. And as a side note, this year marks 20 years that its off the air. OMG, indeed.
Here are 20 things you may have forgotten or missed from Seinfeld that are offensive to say the least ... even though we laughed our butts off back then.
20 A Loogie Of Magical Proportions
So, Newman and Kramer accuse ex-baseball player Keith Hernandez of spitting on them. In a hilarious re-enactment of a scene from Oliver Stone’s JFK, a film depicting the investigation and trials following the end of President John F. Kennedy, Jerry tries to prove that this claim of theirs is actually impossible, just as in the film, the possibility that Lee Harvey Oswald was the one and only gunman to have attacked President Kennedy, if he ever did at all.
Firstly, that day in history is so controversial, talking about it and trying to make light of it in a comedy would be questionable now, so just imagine back in 1992.
Regardless, the scene definitely caused millions to laugh, even at the expense of something so taboo.
A side note … “Newman,”played by Wayne Knight, was actually in Oliver Stone’s JFK and actually took part in a similar scene.
19 Cold Feet
To say that George didn’t want to marry his fiancée Susan would indeed be an understatement. Anyone who followed that storyline’s progress can tell you the same … but yeah, he most certainly regretted his decision to tie the knot.
So, it came as no surprise that when she passed away at the hands of ingesting way too much glue after sealing all of their wedding invitations, he was … a little more than happy that it was all over and he was single again.
We wonder how this seems to today’s society, but yeah, ever-loving George Costanza was actually happy that his fiancé had expired so suddenly.
Really? When we think about it now, it seems so … awful and it most definitely has offended quite a few viewers both back then and nowadays, we’re sure.
18 Babu's Dream Cafe
The café is most definitely an episode that has stood the test of time, both in ingenuity and offensiveness. The character of Jerry becomes obsessed with this new café, only it isn’t doing very well … so unwittingly, Jerry suggests to the owner—the now infamous Babu Bhatt—to turn it into a Pakistani-themed restaurant.
On the surface, it seems perfectly normal, but that’s until the Pakistani idea turns into a major flop as well.
Then the character of Babu gets angry at Jerry’s suggestion, saying that the cost needed to change up the restaurant and the fact that no clients entered the establishment since all falls on Jerry … only the character goes into extreme stereotypical Pakistani mode, using all the mannerisms and accents that fall into an almost make-believe fashion—exaggerated even. And that is what makes this instant in the episode ultimately offensive.
17 Gross!
Jerry’s girlfriend Audrey had refused to eat a piece of his pie on an earlier date … which obviously bugs Jerry to no end. So when she brings him to her father Poppie’s restaurant, Jerry refuses to eat a slice of pizza, causing Audrey to feel as though he’s just trying to get her back. Of course this was not the case. Jerry had excused himself to go to the bathroom, and in the bathroom, he witnessed Poppie, leave the restroom without washing his hands.
Poppie then said that he was “gonna cook something special just for you …” to Jerry’s absolute horror.
Well, the episode called on many to criticize the character made to look like an Italian immigrant, eluding to the fact that all Italian immigrants were “dirty.” Hey … you can’t please everybody.
16 An Awkward Massage For George
In “The Note” episode of this famous show, the quirky and zany character of George goes to get a much needed massage. But when he sees that his masseuse is a dude, he gets all kind of uncomfortable and in a hurry. He doesn’t object or cancel the massage, though.
So, there he is getting the massage, and all of a sudden, as he loses himself to the relaxation and mental oblivion of the whole experience, he feels … well, he suddenly feels a physical instant of awakening. This causes him to panic in a big way, wondering if he is actually gay, not that there’s anything wrong with that, as the characters would often say.
But, as it was the 90s and all and society hadn’t taken that giant leap forward that it thankfully has in terms of some relationships, the awkwardness that the characters show when it comes to the topic is very telling of that generation.
15 It Was Hard To Look Anywhere Else
They’d covered so many topics, was it any wonder that they’d tackle a woman’s self-image (which is always a dangerous subject), as they would tackle this area one too many times?
George begins dating Audrey, who is absolutely gorgeous except for this glaring imperfection in the shape of her nose.
Of course knowing George, as we think you do, do you think it was at all easy for him to wrap his mind around her nose?
You got it. So, for some reason, the girl asks the advice of Kramer, of all people—seems he’s the last person anybody should take advice from, but hey, don’t take it from us. He tells her straight-out that she’s gorgeous, but just needs a nose job. How blunt, eh?
14 Were They ... Real?!
Ok … we need to get this off our chest immediately: Terri Hatcher is remarkably gorgeous, and at any age. She oozes attractiveness in any capacity. Now you wouldn’t think that she could ever be involved in any awkward and embarrassing moments on screen now, would you?
Well, at the hands of the Seinfeld crew, trust no one and nothing. In the episode in question, she plays Sidra, an attractive and busty girl, Jerry met at the gym. Now, for whatever reason, Jerry gets obsessed with the question at whether Sidra’s breasts are real or not, and he actually sends Elaine into the sauna to find out.
And yes, for those of you that are unfamiliar with the show, you did indeed just read that. A far cry from the innocent antics of older sitcoms now isn’t it?
13 The Spot
Remember, we loved this show, as so many audiences did. They definitely went far at times making us wonder “Should I be laughing at this?”
Moments like this are in the episode “The Handicap Spot.” Trust me, it gets as offensive as it sounds, and leaves the viewer wondering often throughout the 22 minute instalment.
Is anything at all sacred in this show?
Well, the gang park in a handicap spot, causing a handicap woman to be unable to park there, resulting in her losing battery in her wheelchair, causing her to roll down a hill without control. An angry mob wait for the person responsible, and as part of the crowd, our four heroes decide to wait it out, and not take any responsibility. As you can see from the photo above, the car gets wrecked instead.
12 What Can We Even Say About This One?
We have no words … and for us over here at TheGamer, that’s pretty rare indeed. But this episode entitled “The Shoes,” the controversial content speaks volumes for itself … abundantly.
George and Jerry are meeting with an NBC executive to finalize a deal on their show. Everything’s fine until the NBC executive’s 15 year old daughter walks in, causing George to stare at a particular portion of the girl’s upper body.
The executive actually catches George in the not so subtle act and sends them out on their behinds.
What can we say, other than this episode most certainly takes the cake in terms of controversy and offensiveness and leaves us speechless as we watch the embarrassing moments occur before our very eyes.
11 Cigar Store "Artifact"
“The Cigar Store Indian” episode of this iconic show ranks all over the “way overboard” Richter scale for offensive jokes. Come to think of it, creators Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld and their team of writers didn’t seem too concerned with being politically correct.
It seemed, week after week, they always seemed to outdo even themselves, making jokes more and more risqué.
Well, they accomplished just that in this episode where the characters tackle the offensive behavior of many of the Seinfeld characters in this one falling to jokes about Native Americans, rendering clichés and prejudice stereotypes into the script. At least they had a Native American character in that episode to show a defensive stance, otherwise things could have gotten really ugly, we’d imagine.
10 Guess Who's Coming To Dinner
In “The Diplomat’s Club,” the character of George reaches new lows, and lows so deep indeed that the character remains in an elite club of most loved and most hated to this very day … depending on who you ask of course.
In this episode, George proclaims to his boss that he finds he looks like renowned boxer, Sugar Ray Leonard.
George's boss takes great offence to this and says: “I suppose we all look alike to you.”
Well, George goes on an all-out assault at finding a black man to pose as his friend, trying out quite a few, finally settling on Jerry’s exterminator. He invites the man to come to dinner with he and his boss, resulting in a grossly embarrassing display of racial unease.
9 "I Thought You Were Chinese"
You know when you’re watching a TV episode or a movie and a scene comes on that you just can’t watch? Not because it’s too weird or gross … but because it’s just so gosh darn embarrassing for the character. We definitely know the feeling.
Jerry gets a date with a woman named Donna Chang, whom he met over the phone. When he meets her, however, he sees that she’s not Chinese as he had expected, given her name. As it turned out, she changed her real name of Changstein.
Well George’s mother also gets confused by her name, and this is where it gets pretty offensive. When she speaks to her over the phone, she Donna Chang gives George’s mother some advice about her impending divorce, but when she meets her, seeing that she’s in fact not Chinese, she completely forgoes her advice.
8 Get Me My Novocaine
In keeping with the shatteringly offensive storylines and segments on Seinfeld, this little tidbit will surely not disappoint or shock you newbies any further. In “The Jimmy,” the gang meets an interesting figure that speaks of himself only in the 3rd person, but that’s not the problem here.
Also thrown into the storyline of this episode is the fact that Kramer and Jerry go to the dentist—the same dentist—while this episode gets underway.
On a trip to the gym, following a trip to the dentist, that Kramer ends up acting like a "particular" patient, while still under the influence of Novocaine.
The preposterousness of the incident is apparent immediately … how can Novocaine make one act like this? The scene was much too exaggerated and done only for a cheap laugh at the expense of the ill.
7 No Shame!
The episode entitled “The Checks,” is definitely a multilayered episode, as a lot definitely happens in the 22 minute show (without commercials). As you can see from the above picture, however, things get pretty offensive and fast.
Kramer takes on some Japanese businessmen and tries to convince Jerry and George that their pilot would be good for Japanese TV. Well, in the meantime, Kramer parties it up with the Japanese business men who wind up sleeping in drawers in an extra-large dresser that Kramer has just received.
The absurdity of this portion of the episode is only accentuated by the fact that the businessmen actually think it all right to sleep in such conditions, eluding to the preposterous fact that they do this regularly.
6 Unbelievable Metaphor
Seeing that we are a rather PG publication, we can’t delve too deeply on what exactly went on in these episodes verbatim, as they are pretty advanced, if you know what we mean. So we’ll go right into describing this one and we’ll let you make your own metaphorical conclusions. And don’t worry, it won’t be like re-living English Lit 101 all over again.
So Jerry’s dating this girl with a remarkable toy collection that he definitely wants to get his hands on.
He eventually subdues her, so that when she’s asleep, he can “play” with her toys all he wants. As is pictured above, he does indeed get to play with her toys and even invites his friends along. Get the picture as to why this would be offensive … big time? We’re more than sure you do.
The episode is called “The Merv Griffin Show” in case you want to, you know... check it out.
5 A Bad Day For A Parade
This episode has gone down in infamy, as it caused the most amount of controversy for the show, its creators and its stars. It was so bad, in fact, that it was actually requested by the network to have the episode pulled from ever airing again, in re-runs or in syndication. As it turns out, the episode wouldn’t air again until 2002 when it seemed that all was forgiven.
So what happened? Well, the episode is appropriately titled: “The Puerto Rican Day”.
The cast attends the parade, made famous for its festive and colorful goings on. Well, it just so happens that during the festivities, Cosmo Kramer himself—you just knew he’d somehow be involved—got his hands on the Puerto Rican flag. Well, in his trusted grip, the flag not only catches fire, but it falls to the ground and he proceeds to stomp on it and on national television, no less!
4 A Refusal Of Service
These episodes have gone down in infamy as many of them have caused a ruckus over the years, and this episode does not disappoint. Who can forget the infamous Soup Nazi? We’re positive that no one who lived through the phenomenon … whether they were fans of the show or not, they could never forget him or the episode. If people hadn’t have watched the show back then, they probably heard all about it at the old water cooler the next day.
The trouble with this particular episode of course is the use of the term in his name.
Historically, the term represents a period in humanity so terrible it conjures up nothing but bad thoughts. We wonder if it’s ever okay to joke about anybody being compared to a German soldier … even if he has refused you some really good soup.
3 A Conversion Of Faith
Of all the crazy circumstances this unlikely character gets himself into, this has got to be the most preposterous one to date, and conceivably one of the most insulting … especially if you’re Latvian Orthodox.
Oy vey! Bear with us please; there is a point to this madness. The episode is appropriately named, “The Conversion.”
So, good old George gets it in his head to convert to Latvian Orthodox faith as this is his girlfriend’s faith, and she claims that her parents won’t let her be with a man who wasn’t Latvian Orthodox.
Anyways, George goes through the farce that is this conversion and when he tells his girlfriend this, she tells him she isn’t ready for the commitment.
Go figure.
2 Read My Lips!
Even the preposterous name of this episode is offensive: “The Lip Reader.” There’s no way this episode is what I think it’s about, you say? Indeed it is. It’s about a person who is heard of hearing, whom George and Jerry try to outsmart by covering their mouths as they talk about her right, in front of her.
The scene unfortunately has you laughing hard, but looking over your shoulder to assure yourself that no one has seen you shed many a tear of laughter at the expense of the poor woman charged to deal with such idiots as these.
The role is played by a person with real hearing disability, actress Marlee Matlin. She is a great actress with an even better sense of humor; thank Heaven. She may have been okay with it, but others weren’t and the episode indeed received a lot of criticism.
1 Good Old Puddy
David Puddy, played by Patrick Warburten of The Dish, Get Smart and Ted fame was definitely always good for a laugh. He was Elaine’s on/off again boyfriend and his face was always set in that self-satisfied grin/scowl of his, and that soft yet deep voice of his, he definitely commanded the audience’s attention.
But Puddy too wasn’t without controversy.
He and Elaine fought quite a lot, and these fights often bordered on the topics of their different faiths and backgrounds. Elaine was obviously Jewish, as the script mentioned many times, and Puddy was Christian, as many can remember from The Jesus Fish altercation. As well as the time that Puddy asked her to steal the neighbor’s newspaper, because she was going to “heck” anyways.
Can anybody say ouch?