We reported that Jimmy Kimmel will show a rerun during David Letterman’s finale in a few weeks, a show of respect for someone he calls an idol. It’s a nice gesture, and one that not many of the shows airing in competition will be following (Fallon and Conan will both be new).
Still, not everyone is impressed by the gesture. Jerry Seinfeld sat down with Access Hollywood and discussed the rerun decision in that half joking/half serious manner he’s gotten pretty good at doing:
“Is that a classy move?” Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush asked Seinfeld in an exclusive new interview. “You’re not moved?”
“No,” Seinfeld quipped. “He loves Dave so much. We get it. We understand.”
Seinfeld then hit back that a better show of respect might be similar to the one he got from TV Land during Seinfeld’s series finale back in 1998:
“Why not put up a test pattern if you really want to respect the guy?” Seinfeld suggested. “I think TV Land put up a test pattern on the night of my [‘Seinfeld’] finale out of respect. That was a very nice gesture.
“That’s what I would do,” Seinfeld added, with a smile. “That’s a real tip of the cap!”
It was actually a door with some Post-It notes attached to it, but it’s an interesting point to bring up. I think we’re lucky that we’re getting a rerun that night. ABC would never just throw up the color bars during competitive hours.
Like I said, I think he’s joking for the most part. I just wouldn’t toss it to the side as something that’s not a big deal. That’s a marquee spot, and announcing that he’s showing a rerun not only gets his name in the headlines, but it allows him to stay classy in the face of television pressures.
(Via Access Hollywood)
