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TV shows have all kinds of tricks for managing an actor’s pregnancy. 

When Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo was expecting her first child, her character got a storyline that required her to be bedridden for weeks. When Keri Russell was pregnant with her first child with co-star Matthew Rhys while filming season 4 of The Americans, she covered her bump up with bulky coats and props, like strategically placed loads of laundry. Sometimes, an actor’s real-life pregnancy is even written into the show, such as with Elizabeth Montgomery on Bewitched and Cynthia Nixon on Sex and the City. 

In other cases, writers might try to make an actor’s real-life pregnancy a punchline. That’s what happened to Seinfeld’s Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus wasn’t a fan of Jerry’s Seinfeld’s suggestion for Elaine

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In the latest episode of the comedian’s Wiser Than Me podcast from Lemonada Media, Louis-Dreyfus chatted with Hacks star Jean Smart about their experiences of motherhood and pregnancy. She recalled Seinfeld star and writer Jerry Seinfeld’s initial idea for addressing her changing appearance when she was expecting her second son, Charlie, in 1997. 

“The second time I was pregnant on the show, we didn’t even bother to cover it up,” she recalled. “And then when I was about four or five months pregnant and just really starting to show, Jerry came up to me and he said, ‘We have this idea in the writer’s room that maybe we’ll write it in that Elaine is just getting fat.’” 

Understandably, Louis-Dreyfus wasn’t thrilled with that idea. 

“Yeah. Tell that to somebody who’s four or five months pregnant,” she said. “I burst into tears. It’s sort of like you looking at yourself in the mirror as the character in Fargo. I mean, I was just done for … Anyway, that idea didn’t fly.”

‘Seinfeld’ star says becoming a mom helped her keep things in perspective

Ultimately, the show opted to hide Louis-Dreyfus’ pregnancy in season 8, with clothing and props used to cover up Elaine’s growing belly. That’s similar to the approach the hit sitcom took in season 3, when she was pregnant with her first son, Henry.

“The first go round, yes. I stood behind things, I carried boxes, etc.,” she said during an appearance on Ina Garten’s Be My Guest podcast in 2024 (via People). “By the time I was pregnant the second time, nobody cared. It was like it wasn’t happening. We just sort of…  I walked in, I was out to here, and no one said anything.”

As a working mom, Louis-Dreyfus had to deal with “the juggling act” of trying to balance her career with parenthood. But she said she was grateful for the experience. 

“[W]hile I was making Seinfeld … I gave birth to both of my children,” she said. “Super challenging, but also fabulous, because I was becoming very famous at this time and it really kept all of that in perspective.”

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