This week, Jerry Seinfeld’s problematic past with a high school student he dated when he was in his 30s has resurfaced, leading to backlash from a new generation. The controversy arose after students at Duke University staged a walkout during his commencement speech in protest of his support for Israel. Seinfeld has been vocal about his backing of Israel and was previously photographed visiting a military camp in the West Bank with his family in 2018. He has also visited Israel to meet with families of hostages taken by Hamas.
In addition to the protests at Duke, social media users have been circulating tweets referencing Seinfeld’s relationship with Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss, who he began dating when she was 17 and he was 38. Lonstein Gruss, now a clothing designer, dated Seinfeld for four years and the couple’s relationship was covered in a People magazine article that portrayed them as a fun and normal couple. Despite some initial backlash from public figures like Howard Stern, Seinfeld continued the relationship, even after Lonstein Gruss began attending college.
In a Vanity Fair profile in 1998, Seinfeld revealed that he almost got married to Lonstein Gruss, emphasizing that their relationship was based on love. However, he eventually met his current wife, Jessica, that same year and married her in 1999. Despite the passage of three decades since his relationship with Lonstein Gruss, some social media users are still condemning Seinfeld for grooming a minor. Grooming is a term used to describe when an adult befriends a minor with the intention of making sexual advances once they reach the legal age. Criticism of Seinfeld has grown in recent years, with more people highlighting his problematic past.
Despite the backlash, Seinfeld has not addressed the controversy publicly. Representatives for Seinfeld and Lonstein Gruss did not respond to requests for comment. The incident at Duke University, along with the renewed scrutiny of Seinfeld’s relationship with a high school student, has sparked debate on social media and brought attention to the comedian’s past actions. Some users have been sharing sarcastic tweets encouraging others to look up more information about Seinfeld’s past, indicating that the controversy is unlikely to fade away anytime soon. Critics are calling attention to the problematic nature of Seinfeld’s past actions and questioning his behavior towards young women, even as he continues to enjoy a successful career in comedy.
