Jerry Seinfeld And Stephen Colbert Discuss The Legacy Of Bill Cosby And Separating The Man From The Art

Jerry Seinfeld stopped by The Late Show for some promotion of his Netflix special, but ended up diving into something a little deeper during a humorous chat with Stephen Colbert. The comedian details his early days, wanting to get into comedy, and what is different about stand up compared to other types of comedy, but the standout moment is when he discusses his biggest influence. For Seinfeld, that is Bill Cosby, an individual whose reputation has seen better days thanks to the numerous allegations of sexual assault. He lost his own Netflix special and a rumored sitcom deal with NBC, plus his accomplishments have been brought into question.

All of this led the discussion to separating Cosby’s personal life from the art he created over the years. It was something Seinfeld was initially willing to do for someone he considered a hero, but Colbert was not. It led to a short chat that wasn’t awkward, despite some abrupt silence from the audience, but tackled the subject in a way that seemed to catch Seinfeld off guard for a bit.

For Colbert, there’s a personal connection to the Cosby situation that pushes him towards looking at it all in a new light. He can’t manage to separate the work that he says “saved his life” after the tragedy in his youth and the man who now allegedly hurt so many people. Seinfeld brings up Jerry Lewis leaving his children out of his will having a similar effect for him, but also notes that it is far different than the allegations against Cosby and it wouldn’t stop him from watching Lewis’ films.

The interesting part here isn’t that they solve the issue or come to an agreement in the second clip embedded below, but its that they just have this conversation in front of the audience and on national television like it was in a diner somewhere. It’s a good jumping off point for a debate on your own, with neither man overwhelming with their opinion. There’s room to breathe.

There’s also a lot of lighter stuff peppered in throughout, including some topics that Seinfeld would tackle on his sitcom if it happened today and the folks that got him into comedy at the beginning. Worth a look if you’re a fan of comedy and definitely worth it if you’ve ever questioned the division between art and author in light of controversy.