Jerry Seinfeld and Paul Rosenberg Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage/Courtesy of Paul Rosenberg/Instagram
New York sports radio host Paul Rosenberg doubled down after his criticism of Seinfeld elicited a phone call from Jerry Seinfeld himself.
Rosenberg, a host and producer on Audacy’s 101.9 WFAN, caused a stir on Tuesday, November 12, when he said there were only “a few good Seinfeld episodes.”
Moments later, Seinfeld, 70, who was listening to the show, called in to address Rosenberg’s critique. “I’m not arrogant enough to think that everybody should like what I do,” the comedian said. “I just wanted to let you know it doesn’t bother me. I’m OK with it.”
In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly on Friday, November 15, Rosenberg refused to concede anything in the face of Seinfeld’s leniency.
As one of the highest rating sitcoms of all-time, Seinfeld left a lasting legacy beyond its initial run. The “show about nothing”, which was co-created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, starred Seinfeld in the lead role alongside Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander and Michael Richards and ran from 1989 to 1998. Given his instrumental role […]
“I am not a Seinfeld crazy guy like others who live, breathe and die for it,” Rosenberg said. “I’m not going to Seinfeld trivia nights. You know, in the background on TV? Sure. That’s fine. But I’m never locked into it. Just for me, it was never the type of humor that I enjoyed.”
Rosenberg continued, “It’s not like I said Seinfeld is awful. Clearly the show was incredibly successful. In my opinion, it’s just not my taste. I don’t think every single episode is a benchmark episode.”
Ultimately, he said, “It’s not my cup of tea.”
While he held true to his beliefs, Rosenberg joked that very few in his orbit share or agree with them. After the on-air moment with Seinfeld went viral, Rosenberg said he received an overwhelming amount of “calls and texts from friends and family saying my take was the worst of all-time.”
In recalling the interaction itself, Rosenberg remembered the initial shock he felt when he saw Seinfeld’s name come up as a caller.
“You have to make sure it’s actually him,” Rosenberg said.
Jerry Seinfeld based his Netflix film Unfrosted on the past eras of “dominant masculinity” of the 1960s. “I think it is the key element and that is an agreed-upon hierarchy, which I think is absolutely vaporized in today’s moment,” Seinfeld, 70, said on the Tuesday, May 28, episode of The Free Press’ “Honestly” podcast. “I […]
Luckily, Rosenberg formerly worked for legendary WFAN personality Steve Somers, who Seinfeld would regularly call up to discuss whatever New York sports matters were on his mind.
“I had his number in an email from a previous Steve Somers situation,” Rosenberg explained. “So I checked that and it matched. That made me feel a lot better. I was thinking, ‘It’s a Tuesday night and if someone’s pranking Jerry Seinfeld’s voice, you gotta get a life.’”
While Rosenberg said his opinion on Seinfeld “will not change,” he did acknowledge one thing that could bring him and the show’s star and creator together.
“Hopefully the Mets win a World Series soon,” Rosenberg said. “That’s something me and Jerry do share, as the diehard Mets fans that we are.”
