The Real Reason Jerry Seinfeld Once Took Scientology Courses
Jerry Seinfeld is not one of the first celebrities that come to mind when it comes to their Scientology connection. However, the actor and comedian did take courses within the religious organization many years ago. How did he get involved with Scientology, and what was the real reason he studied it?
Jerry Seinfeld found one aspect of studying Scientology appealing
Jerry Seinfeld revealed he did take several Scientology courses back in the 1970s in an interview with Marc Meron for the podcast WTF With Marc Maron. He asked Seinfeld, “Why does everyone say you were a Scientologist once?”
At 21, while living in New York City, Seinfeld briefly studied the religion. He told Maron why he found parts of it appealing.
“I did do a course in Scientology in like ’75,” Seinfeld explained. “I found it very interesting, never pursued it.”
The comedian claims he found its “emphasis on ethical behavior appealing.” However, he didn’t like how the religion pushed “avoiding negative people trip.”
However, that wasn’t the first time Jerry Seinfeld studied Scientology
Although he did pursue some interest in Scientology in his early 20s, Jerry Seinfeld first learned about the religion from a teacher when he was in high school. He told Parade in 2007, “It was very helpful.”
“I last really studied, oh, it’s almost 30 years ago. But what I liked, in terms of it’s very…it was interesting. Believe it or not, it’s extremely intellectual and clinical in its approach to problem-solving, which appealed to me.”
He continued, “I actually got to it from my auto mechanics teacher in high school, who was into it, and he was telling me about it. In my early years of stand-up, it was very helpful. I took a couple of courses. One of them was in communication, and I learned some things about communication that got my act going.”
Seinfeld said the communication skills he learned while studying Scientology helped him as a comedian
In his early days as a stand-up comedian, Jerry Seinfeld admitted he “wasn’t a natural performer at all.” However, he did realize he was a “pretty good writer.”
However, to pursue stand-up comedy full-time, Seinfeld had to learn how to perform. It was then that he leaned into what he learned while studying some aspects of Scientology.
“It’s all about the communications cycle. Just a little thing like that, understanding that really helped me on stage to understand how you have to invade the space of the audience a little bit. I learned that early on, and it was a very helpful thing to learn,” he said to Parade.
However, while the entertainer did take some courses, he was raised Jewish. “I’m Jewish, and we celebrate some of the big ones, you know,” he said of his faith.
But, he clarified that his spirituality transcends way beyond one religious group. “I try and be good to people all the time. I’m always trying to be generous to people.”
Jerry Seinfeld’s next project is the upcoming film Unfrosted. He is listed as a star, writer, producer, and director of the movie, which tells the tale of business rivals Kellogg’s and Post as they compete to create a cake that could change breakfast forever.
