Back in the ’90s, “Seinfeld” fans wanted to know how the series ended so badly that they resorted to bribery.
George Costanza actor Jason Alexander revealed that his publicist asked if he’d leak secrets about the series finale in exchange for money.
Alexander virtually reunited with his co-star Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Tuesday to reminisce about the hit NBC show. The two recalled how walls were built around the Los Angeles set to prevent nosy photographers with a high-powered lens from snooping on the final shoot.
“I remember thinking at that time, ‘Seriously? Who gives a s—?’” Louis-Dreyfus said.
Alexander agreed, then went into the conversation he had with his publicist.
“My own publicist — I don’t know if this came for you, too — my publicist was asking me if I was willing to leak out some secrets for money,” he said. “And I went, ‘They’ll kill us!’ How can you do that?”
Louis-Dreyfus looked surprised, then replied that she hoped Alexander fired the publicist. He joked, “No, I gave him a raise.”
The two-part “Seinfeld” finale aired on May 14, 1999, drawing in 76.3 million viewers. The controversial ending ranks as the fourth most-viewed series finale ever, falling behind “M*A*S*H,” “Cheers” and “The Fugitive.”
“Seinfeld” and other shows from the pre-digital age didn’t have to worry as much about episodes leaking online, but for many modern shows, like “Game of Thrones,” it’s a legitimate problem. The HBO fantasy series had several full episodes and plot details appear on the Internet before airing. To compare, the equally controversial “Game of Thrones” finale had 19.3 million viewers, a far cry from the “Seinfeld” numbers.
Watch the full video with Alexander and Louis-Dreyfus below.
