Jerry Seinfeld retracts claim that the extreme left is ruining comedy: 'It's not true'

Jerry Seinfeld is standing down.

During a Tuesday appearance on the "Breaking Bread with Tom Papa" podcast, the comedian, 70, said he regrets arguing that the "extreme left" is killing comedy and doesn't believe this is the case. The comments were first reported by The Daily Beast.

"I said that the extreme left has suppressed the art of comedy," he said. "I did say that. It's not true."

He went on to say, "I don't think the extreme left has done anything to inhibit the art of comedy. I'm taking that back now officially. They have not. Do you like it? Maybe, maybe not. It's not my business to like or not like where the culture is at."

Seinfeld argued it's a comedian's job to adapt to the culture, and he dismissed concerns that "you can't say certain words" today, asking, "So what?"

The "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" host pointed to his "extreme left" comment as one of two things he regrets saying and wanted to take back. The other was a remark he said was misinterpreted to mean he doesn't perform on college campuses because students are too politically correct.

"Not true," he said. "First of all, I never said it, but if you think I said it, it's not true. I play colleges all the time. I have no problem with kids, performing for them."

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Seinfeld made his original, controversial comments about the extreme left during the promotional tour for his Netflix movie "Unfrosted."

Speaking on the "New Yorker Radio Hour" in April, he argued there are not as many comedies on television today as there once were, which he blamed on political correctness. "This is the result of the extreme left and PC crap, and people worrying so much about offending other people," he said.

Seinfeld also said that there are storylines from his sitcom that would not be considered acceptable now.

"We did an episode of the series in the '90s where Kramer decides to start a business of having homeless pull rickshaws because, as he says, they're outside anyway," he told The New Yorker. "Do you think I could get that episode on the air today?"

Julia Louis-Dreyfus calls PC comedy complaints a 'red flag' after Jerry Seinfeld comments

The remarks received mixed reactions at the time, as well as pushback from "Seinfeld" alum Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Speaking to The New York Times, Louis-Dreyfus criticized comedians who complain about political correctness ruining comedy, without pointing to her former co-star specifically.

"When I hear people starting to complain about political correctness − and I understand why people might push back on it − but to me that's a red flag, because it sometimes means something else," she told The New York Times. "I believe being aware of certain sensitivities is not a bad thing. I don't know how else to say it."

The "Veep" actress also said on the "On with Kara Swisher" podcast that she does not "buy the conceit that this is an impossible time to be funny."

Seinfeld has spoken on his concerns about political correctness in the past, saying on "Late Night With Seth Meyers" in 2015, "There's a creepy, PC thing out there that really bothers me."

Speaking on the "Breaking Bread" podcast, Seinfeld also clarified another headline-making comment he made during his "Unfrosted" press tour that he misses "dominant masculinity." He said this was "probably not the greatest phrase" to use and that he meant to say he misses "big personalities."

But Seinfeld expressed surprise that any of his remarks received so much attention. "I did not know that people care what comedians say," he said. "That literally came as news to me. Who the hell cares what a comedian thinks about anything?" He joked he frequently finds himself making pronouncements, only to realize "that wasn't right" the next day. "We just like talking," Seinfeld quipped. "I didn't know people were paying attention or cared."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jerry Seinfeld regrets saying extreme left is ruining comedy