Jerry Seinfeld says TV is over, and YouTube is a ‘giant garbage can’

By Chris Leo Palermino April 16, 2015

jerry seinfeld crackle coffee — Crackle

For millions, YouTube has become a streaming video destination. But Jerry Seinfeld, the former Seinfeld star whose popular series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee can be found on the Sony-owned digital platform Crackle, is not one of them.

The comedian, who spoke at Crackle’s Upfront presentation yesterday in New York, explained why he doesn’t like the streaming video giant.

“I don’t want to see this crap. We have a giant garbage can called YouTube for user-generated content,” explained Seinfeld (via Billboard). “We’re trying to generate a little higher level. I think show business is for talent, that’s who should be in it. But let’s keep it in its hierarchy. And I like being at the top of the pyramid.”

Seinfeld has been airing Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, which is exactly what it sounds like, on Crackle since 2012. David Letterman, Chris Rock, Jon Stewart, Howard Stern and Larry David have all guest-starred on the show, which features comedians and writers joining Seinfeld to cracking wise as they cruise in vintage cars to find a bite, and of course, a cup of joe.

As for why the iconic TV star choose the internet over broadcast TV for his show, he had a simple answer. “TV is over.”

“When you get to a certain point in the business, what a man is looking for in a network is the same as in his underwear. A little bit of support and a little bit of freedom,” he joked in his talk (via Tubefilter). “That’s exactly what Crackle offered… There’s nothing different about what we’re doing than what anyone else is doing on any media anywhere. TV networks are worried that you’ll figure out TV is over and there’s nothing special about it.”

The series, which starts its sixth season on June 4, reached 100 million viewers this month according to Seinfeld. “[People don’t] expect quality programming [online], and we feel like we’re ahead of a lot of places.”

The sixth season is slated to have six episodes and will guest star Stephen Colbert, Bill Maher, and several other comedians. Just don’t expect to find it on YouTube.

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Chris Leo Palermino

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Chris Leo Palermino is a music, tech, business, and culture journalist based between New York and Boston. He also contributes…

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