Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the renowned star of “Seinfeld,” has expressed concerns that President Donald Trump might intensify his actions against critics. During a recent episode of her podcast, “Wiser Than Me,” she suggested that comedians are often the first targets, followed by others.
In her opening monologue, Louis-Dreyfus remarked, “I’m not sure how we got here, but all of a sudden we live in a world where facts are disputed. They’re drowned in noise, and then they’re weaponized. It’s like there’s this attack on our ability to trust what we perceive.”
She added, “And then confusion and a kind of numbed, stupification are the result.”
The Golden Globe recipient elaborated that art becomes a significant concern for those in power because it conveys its message “through feeling,” which is immune to control, making it the initial victim in the erosion of free speech.
Louis-Dreyfus reflected on her comedy career, noting, “I’ve done a lot of comedy in my career, and people don’t immediately think of comedy as part of the artist holding up the mirror to society thing, but of course that’s exactly what comedy does. And that’s why it’s the comedians who go down first.”
She specifically mentioned, “The Stephen Colberts and Jimmy Kimmels.”
Last year, “The Late Show” was canceled after Stephen Colbert criticized CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global, for settling a $16 million lawsuit with Trump. During that period, the company was seeking the Federal Communications Commission’s approval for an $8 billion merger.
Trump celebrated the cancellation on his Truth Social platform.
Similarly, Jimmy Kimmel’s ABC show faced a temporary suspension last year following backlash to his remarks about Republicans capitalizing on the death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk for political leverage. Trump also celebrated this move.
In April, FCC chair Brendan Carr initiated early license reviews of Disney’s eight owned-and-operated ABC stations, posing a potential threat to “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” Kimmel, who often criticizes Trump, has been a repeated target of Trump’s calls for him to be taken off the air.
Left: Richard Shotwell/Invision/Associated Press; Right: Evan Agostini/Invision/Associated Press
Despite Trump’s criticism, Kimmel continues to make jokes about him. Earlier this month, Trump expressed a desire for “three more limping Late Night Talk Show Hosts” to follow Colbert’s fate. Kimmel has also made jokes about first lady Melania Trump.
On her podcast, Louis-Dreyfus observed that while history and heroes can be altered, the emotional impact of art—whether a novel, painting, or movie—remains harder to erase. She highlighted how rock and roll was clandestinely introduced into the Soviet Union to evoke that “forbidden feeling.”
While Louis-Dreyfus did not directly mention Trump, she alluded to potential controversy with a play set in Gaza or at Mar-a-Lago, advocating for a resolute defiance against censorship.
She emphasized, “When there’s so much propaganda and chaos, the artist’s job becomes more essential and, frankly, more dangerous.”
She concluded by warning, “When our government sees artists as the enemy … that’s the start of something truly terrifying. It’s a very small step from here to punishing dissent itself.”
