Why Jason Alexander Hated One of ‘Seinfeld’s Most Iconic Episodes

Jason Alexander and Julia Louis-Dreyfus couldn’t have more opposite takes on Seinfeld, especially when it comes to Season Three’s “The Pen.” 

The episode centers around Jerry and Elaine visiting the comedian’s parents in Florida, which turns out to be a disastrous trip defined by bad Marlon Brando impressions and a full-on brawl over an astronaut pen. Louis-Dreyfus famously named the installment as “the most thrilling” moment of her Seinfeld career, and it’s consistently listed among the sitcom’s greatest episodes. But it forced Alexander to draw a hard line with the show’s producers.  

“The Pen” is the first and only Seinfeld episode not to feature the man sometimes known as Art Vandelay, and Alexander’s omission bruised his ego, prompting him to give Seinfeld co-creator Larry David an ultimatum about his future on the show.

“If you (write me out) again, do it permanently. If you don’t need me to be here for every damn episode of Seinfeld you write, then I don’t need to be here,” Alexander recalled of his chat with David the following week. “I’ve got to feel that you can’t do this without my character and my work being a part of it. Because if I do, then I just don’t want to be a part of it.’”

David initially brushed off these demands with his soon-to-be Curb Your Enthusiasm catchphrase of “Oh, come on,” but Alexander’s ultimatum worked, and he was present in all 160 of the episodes that followed.

I’m glad they were able to work it out. After all, a sitcom divided against itself cannot stand.