Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ rise to fame wasn’t just ’cause she got a job on “Saturday Night Live,” and then yada yada yada, she won 11 Emmys.
In a sneak peak of the comedian’s upcoming appearance on “Be My Guest with Ina Garten,” via People, the “Veep” alum was asked by host Ina Garten, “What was the toughest time in your career?”
In response, Louis-Dreyfus named the gap of time between leaving “SNL” in 1985 to when she landed her breakout role as Elaine Benes on “Seinfeld” in 1990.
But the “You Hurt My Feelings” star told the Barefoot Contessa that once she was on “Seinfeld,” a new obstacle bubbled up for her.
“The other challenge for me in my career has been the juggling act,” Louis-Dreyfus told Garten. “Because while I was making ‘Seinfeld,’ for example, I gave birth to both of my children. Super challenging, but also fabulous, because I was becoming very famous at this time and it really kept all of that in perspective.”
Louis-Dreyfus starred on the hit sitcom for all nine seasons from 1990 to 1998. She and her husband, Brad Hall, welcomed their first son Henry in 1992 and their second son Charlie in 1997.
When Garten asked Louis-Dreyfus if production did anything to hide her pregnancies, like “put you behind the potted plant,” the TV icon said that did kind of, sort of, happen.
“Yeah, well, let’s see. The first go round, yes. I stood behind things, I carried boxes, etc,” Louis-Dreyfus said. “By the time I was pregnant the second time, nobody cared. It was like it wasn’t happening. We just sort of… I walked in, I was out to here, and no one said anything.”
The claim that no one said anything about her second pregnancy doesn’t seem to be quite true, however.
In a 2015 appearance on Jerry Seinfeld’s show, “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” Louis-Dreyfus recalled how Seinfeld wanted to deal with her second pregnancy on the show, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Do you remember when I was about five months pregnant with my youngest,” she recalled to her former co-star. “Big as a house, and you came up to me, and you said, ‘Hey, I have a great idea. How about we write in this season that Elaine just gets fat?’”
Louis-Dreyfus admitted that after Seinfeld suggested this plot, she burst into tears. But apparently she later had a change of heart. “It was a great idea, and we should’ve done it,” Louis-Dreyfus said.
Support Free Journalism
Support HuffPost
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.
Or maybe, much like the controversial “Seinfeld” episode, “The Puerto Rican Day,” that idea deserved to be scratched.
Support Free Journalism
Support HuffPost
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.