Comedian turned filmmaker Jerry Seinfeld has been courting controversy of late with some of his seemingly glib opinions and comments in the run-up to the promotion of his Netflix Pop-Tarts movie, “Unfrosted” (read our review). Seinfeld already rattled some with some seemingly flippant comments, proclaiming “the movie business being over” and how the “extreme left” was ruining the state of TV and comedy. A major element of his new movie “Unfrosted”—about creating the Pop-Tart and the cereal brand company war and race to get to market first—was an avalanche of famous comedian cameos populating the streaming comedy. Taking a humorous run at the origin of the breakfast pastry in the movie, one controversial idea was floated, but wasn’t filmed as initially intended.
Seinfeld revealed in a new interview with the “Fly On The Wall” podcast (via Variety) that he tried to convince friend and fellow comedian Chris Rock to shoot a scene in his satirical movie that would parody the controversial slap that Will Smith gave him during the Oscars ceremony in 2022 (after making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s appearance).
READ MORE: Jerry Seinfeld Says TV Comedy Is Being Killed By The “Extreme Left”
“The other thing I wanted to do that I almost did was Chris Rock was going to be the emcee of the Bowl & Spoon Awards — and we shot that right after the Will Smith slap,” Seinfeld explained on the podcast hosted by former “Saturday Night Live” cast members, Dana Carvey and David Spade. “I was going to have somebody come up on the stage and have Chris punch ’em out as they got there.”
For some context, the movie’s Bowl & Spoon Awards scene is hosted by fellow stand-up Cedric The Entertainer, taking the part from Rock, who wasn’t entirely ready to start making jokes about the event on that scale. Seinfeld said that Rock “wasn’t up to perform” and further detailed the comedian’s state of mind. “He was [still] a little shook from that event. That was what that scene was going to be, but Cedric saved the day. I love Cedric.”
Seinfeld then asked the podcast co-hosts their own opinion on the matter and if they thought Rock parodying the Oscars slap from Smith would’ve been a funny addition to the film. Carvey said it might have played well “without the Will Smith thing,” but “there’s still kind of a residual darkness around that moment.” Seinfeld responded, “Isn’t that we’re attracted to, more than anything, residual darkness? I don’t know if it would have worked. It was an idea.”
You can listen to that full exchange on the “Fly On The Wall” podcast with Seinfeld below, and “Unfrosted” can now be streamed on Netflix.
