Larry David is rightfully considered one of the biggest names in the comedy business. The creator of two iconic shows in the form of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, the 77-year-old genius has faced his fair share of obstacles, bringing his hilarious visions to life.
However, from the BTS of Seinfeld, one of the most memorable involved cutting New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner from the show. Despite securing a cameo appearance from the billionaire businessman in the Season 7 finale, David ultimately removed the scene, claiming Steinbrenner’s performance was so awkward that it ruined the episode.
George Steinbrenner’s cameo was never aired on Seinfeld
For the Season 7 finale, the Seinfeld team invited George Steinbrenner to play himself in a cameo. The scene featured Steinbrenner interrupting Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Costanza at a restaurant, ranting about seating arrangements at a wedding. While the idea of having the real Yankees owner on the show seemed promising, the execution fell flat.
As Larry David later recalled in an interview, Steinbrenner’s acting was stiff and unconvincing: (via Collider)
I’m watching the show and oh my god, he was so awful. He was so bad, you couldn’t use it. It was much better from behind with my voice, you know?”
As a result, the scene was cut from the episode and never aired on NBC, though it can now be found as a deleted scene online. David also explained how Steinbrenner initially thought the scene was created to make fun of him, when the character named George Steinbrenner had been a long-running gag on the show. Still, David was happy that the late businessman ‘took it well.’
Larry David ended up firing George Steinbrenner
Cutting a billionaire businessman from a hit TV show is no easy task, and David took on the responsibility himself. He recounted how he had to personally call Yankee Stadium to deliver the news:
I called Yankee Stadium, I said I want to talk to Mr. Steinbrenner. I said, I’m sorry to tell you this.
And while David himself was awkward, considering the situation and the lengths to which they had gone to cast Steinbrenner, the businessman himself took it well:
I called Yankee Stadium and I said, ‘I want to talk to Mr. Steinbrenner, it’s Larry David.’ I said, ‘Mr. Steinbrenner it’s Larry David calling from the Seinfeld show. … I’m sorry to tell you this.’ He said, ‘Come on you can tell me, I’m a big boy, I can take it. And I said, ‘You’ve been cut from the show. I said, ‘It’s not your fault, and the scene just wasn’t working,’ and that was it. He was a big boy, he took it well.
Needless to say, the cut scene meant that fans got to see a little bit more of Larry David. That is something they are bound to be happy with, considering Curb Your Enthusiasm also came to a stellar end, back in April 2024.
Seinfeld remains available to stream on Hulu and Amazon Prime.
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