After a recent student walkout at Duke University to protest Jerry Seinfeld’s commencement speech, there has been renewed focus on the comedian’s controversial past involvement with a high school student during his 30s.
The walkout, during which students chanted “Free Palestine,” was a direct response to Seinfeld’s outspoken support for Israel during the ongoing conflict with Hamas. However, there are other aspects of his position on Israel that are attracting attention.
Old news about Seinfeld’s relationship with Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss has resurfaced on social media. They started dating when she was 17 and he was 38. Regardless of the debate surrounding their age gap, the relationship endured for four years.
The media coverage at the time depicted their relationship as light-hearted and enjoyable, although not everyone perceived it in the same manner. Radio personality Howard Stern received widespread attention for his criticism of Seinfeld’s relationship with a younger individual, going so far as to perform a satirical song about it during a public gathering.
Seinfeld initially claimed ignorance of Lonstein Gruss’ true age, but later on Stern’s show, he confessed that he had underestimated her youth. The relationship endured, with Seinfeld even sharing that marriage was almost on the horizon.
Now, decades later, as society becomes more aware of issues like grooming, social media users are once again raising concerns about the appropriateness of Seinfeld’s past actions. Even though he has moved on and married someone closer to his age, the controversy surrounding his past relationship keeps coming up in public discussions.