Jerry Seinfeld Defends New York City As Debate On Pandemic Recovery Rages

TOPLINE

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld argued in a New York Times opinion piece that New York City, the setting for his eponymous 1990s sitcom, hasn’t died as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, attempting to refute a viral thinkpiece published on LinkedIn that argued the city is over.

KEY FACTS

Crucial quote

“We’re going to keep going with New York City if that’s all right with you. And it will sure as hell be back,” Seinfeld wrote. “Because of all the real, tough New Yorkers who, unlike you, loved it and understood it, stayed and rebuilt it.”

Big number

About 420,000. That’s how many New York City residents left between March and May, according to a New York Times analysis. It found that the wealthiest Manhattan neighborhoods (the West Village, SoHo, the Upper East Side and Brooklyn Heights) saw the biggest exodus, with about 40% of residents moving out. 

Chief critic

“The crime and chaos in Democrat-run cities have gotten so bad that liberals are even getting out of Manhattan’s Upper West Side,” wrote President Trump and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson in a joint Wall Street Journal op-ed published August 11.

Key background

Manhattan commercial real estate developer Don Peebles told CNBC on Friday that the city could take a decade to spring back from the pandemic, but was ultimately optimistic about its chances. National chains in Manhattan have permanently shuttered locations, including J.C. Penney, Kate Spade and bakery Le Pain Quotidien. Ridership (and therefore revenue) on the city’s public transportation has also plummeted as many non-essential workers have yet to return to office buildings. Budgetary woes are further compounded as city employee’s jobs are on the line with a deficit in revenue. Homelessness and violent crime have also risen. Residential realtors are noticing a preference for suburban living as people leave New York and other big cities like Paris and London. Despite these hardships, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio believes in the tenacity of the five boroughs. “If you don’t think New York City is coming back then you don’t know New York City,” he told reporters Monday.

Further information

Jerry Seinfeld: So You Think New York Is ‘Dead’ (New York Times)

NYC IS DEAD FOREVER. HERE’S WHY (LinkedIn)

‘I Don’t Ever Think Comedy Is Inappropriate,’ Says Jerry Seinfeld (Forbes)

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