Jerry Seinfeld apologizes to Howard Stern for podcast comments: 'Please forgive me'
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld, left, has apologized to his longtime friend and fellow Long Island-raised personality Howard Stern about remarks he made on a podcast. Credit: Emma McIntyre / Getty Images for Netflix; Michael Loccisano / Getty Images
Massapequa-raised Jerry Seinfeld has issued a public apology to radio legend Howard Stern for remarks the comic made during a podcast that dropped Wednesday.
“I really feel bad for what I said about my friend Howard Stern in a conversation with David Spade and Dana Carvey, talking about the glut of comedy podcasts,” Seinfeld, 70, said in a statement to Newsday. “I meant to say he must feel surrounded but I said ‘outflanked[,]’ which sounded terrible and insulting.”
Seinfeld, whose Netflix movie “Unfrosted” premiered last week, went on to say, “And of course, none of these little shows are any threat to his giant show. Anyway, it was bad and I’m sorry, Howie. I still love you. Please forgive me.”
A representative for Stern did not respond to a Newsday request for comment and Stern has not commented on social media. The shock-jock pioneer, 70, who was raised in Roosevelt and Rockville Centre and has a home in Southampton, has hosted his namesake show on the satellite-radio network SiriusXM since January 2006 following decades in terrestrial radio. In 2012 he was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame.
Not quite 15 minutes into the 89-minute episode of the interview podcast “Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade,” guest Seinfeld says of radio/podcast interviews with comedians, “Howard Stern invented this, right? But we’re better than him now.” One of the hosts agrees, “Yeah,” and Seinfeld continues.
“Howard is interesting. Howard is a great interviewer. But, y'know, comedy chops. I mean, may we — can we speak candidly?”
Carvey answers, “Sure,” and a chuckling Spade interjects, “No!” After a few moments in which all three give kudos to Stern’s longtime co-host Robin Quivers, Seinfeld says with false starts, trying to organize his thoughts, “Let’s face it … he’s been outflanked by some very — and yourselves, I would say, absolutely, this show is — comedy podcasts? This is the best one on the air.”
In December 2020, Stern signed for another five years on SiriusXM.
