Jerry Seinfeld is never afraid to tell people what he thinks. That applies to everything from his standup to his late night appearances as Jimmy Fallon learned firsthand during a funny exchange between the two about Seinfeld’s children.
“Your kids like you,” Fallon said to Seinfeld Wednesday night, a statement the visibly shocked comedian misheard as “Do your kids like you?”
“I know your kids, and they actually like Dad,” Fallon said, backpedaling. In response, Seinfeld gave Fallon a pointed look and shrugged at the audience. “Sometimes the kids don’t like the parents.”
“Well if that was the case, I wouldn’t bring it up,” Seinfeld said, getting a big laugh from Fallon and the audience. “Let’s slide to the next question. These kids hate their father. Let’s not talk about that.”
Fallon then asked Seinfeld if he had a chance to be with his kids recently. “With my kids?” Seinfeld asked. “Yes, I’ve had many chances. Many, many chances.”
Both Fallon and Seinfeld (who are friends) were in good spirits after this rocky start. The beloved comedian spent most of the interview talking up his upcoming movie “Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story.” The comedy is based on the true story between rival cereal companies Post and Kellogg’s. In the 1960s, Post announced they had developed a process for dehydrating food and keeping it fresh it fresh and that they were moving forward with a breakfast pastry using this technology. Shortly after, Kellogg’s entered a breakfast arms race against Post as they tried to develop their own breakfast pastry. Seinfeld likened his comedy to the U.S. versus Russia historical drama “The Right Stuff.”
“Kellogg’s did not even know we were doing this. We took all their products, we took all their characters — Snap, Crackle and Pop are in the movie. Tony the Tiger is in the movie. Tucan Sam — everyone. We took everything,” Seinfeld said. “I didn’t know that we had to ask.”
It’s unclear if Seinfeld was joking — it’s hard to believe he’d be able to use official logos and character likenesses without permission.
The comedian turned director has a long history with Pop-Tarts. Jokes about the breakfast pastry have been part of his set for over a decade now. The New York Times’ deep dive into how to write a joke with Seinfeld even dives into this specific well-known bit.
“This could be some serious legal expenses,” Seinfeld said. “But if I were to be hauled into court on Pop-Tart charges, that would make my life.”
