“I Miss A Dominant Masculinity”: Jerry Seinfeld Laments Over Not Being A “Real Man”

Jerry Seinfeld lamented over “dominant masculinity” being a thing of the past.

While speaking about his latest movie Unfrosted, the 70-year-old comedian spoke about always wanting to be a “real man” but saying he “never made it.”

The subject came up as he spoke about the ’60s—the era in which his directorial debut of Unfrosted is set. The Bee Movie star discussed his nostalgia for the decade he grew up in during an interview with Bari Weiss for a Tuesday episode of The Free Press’ Honestly podcast.

Jerry Seinfeld was discussing his new movie Unfrosted when he spoke about things he misses from the ’60s

Image credits: The Free Press

“There’s another element there that I think is the key element [of the ‘60s], and that is an agreed-upon hierarchy, which I think is absolutely vaporized in today’s moment,” he said. “I think that is why people lean on the horn and drive in the crazy way that they drive — because we have no sense of hierarchy, and as humans, we don’t really feel comfortable like that.”

As he spoke about the things he missed from the ’60s, the Seinfeld star said he missed “real men.”

The comedian said he was nostalgic about “real men” and the “dominant masculinity” from his childhood

Image credits: The Free Press

“The other thing is, as a man, I’ve always wanted to be a real man,” he said. “I never made it, but I really thought when I was in that era — again, it was JFK, it was Muhammad Ali, it was Sean Connery, Howard Cosell, you can go all the way down there — that’s a real man. I want to be like that someday.”

Although he looks up to people he describes as “real men,” the comedian said he isn’t one of those men because he never grew up.

The actor made the comments while speaking to Bari Weiss for an episode of The Free Press’ Honestly podcast

Jerry Seinfeld says he misses ‘dominant masculinity’:

“I get the toxic thing […] But still, I like a real man.” pic.twitter.com/6YKKUu5OuB

— Episodes (@episodesent) May 29, 2024

“I never really grew up,” he said. “You don’t want to, as a comedian, because it’s a childish pursuit. But I miss a dominant masculinity. Yeah, I get the toxic, I get it, I get it. But still, I like a real man.”

He also named his Unfrosted co-star Hugh Grant as an example of a “real man.”

“That’s why I love Hugh Grant,” he told the interviewer. “Because he felt like one of those guys I wanted to be. He knows how to dress, he knows how to talk, he’s charming, he has stories, he’s comfortable at dinner parties, he knows how to get a drink … I love those movements of style.”

Marking his directorial debut, Unfrosted is a film that the actor co-wrote and also starred in

Jerry co-wrote, directed, and starred in the film Unfrosted, which depicts the rivalry between cereal rivals Kellogg’s and Post and the introduction of Pop-Tarts in American culture.

“We love the idea of grown-up men in suits talking about cereal all day,” the actor told Netflix. “The silliness of how they look and what they talk about just seemed like a fantastic world to be in. You want to put Jim Gaffigan in a tight suit and a blustery kind of face [shouting], ‘And you gentlemen better take this work more seriously!’ But it’s about crinkles and puffs and sprinkles and pops, and they’re adults.”