David Alan Grier reflects on auditioning for George on “Seinfeld”: 'This will never be a hit'

Marina WattsMon, March 30, 2026 at 4:59 PM UTC

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David Alan Grier; Jason Alexander as George Constanza on 'Seinfeld'Credit: Getty(2)Key Points -

David Alan Grier didn't think Seinfeld was funny when he auditioned for the role of George Costanza, reading with Jerry Seinfeld.

The actor joked that he "fumbled" the bag while appearing on TODAY with Jenna and Sheinellediscussing what could have been in his acting career.

Other actors who were considered for George included Danny DeVito and Chris Rock.

David Alan Grier probably thought Seinfeld was indeed a show about nothing.

During an appearance on TODAY with Jenna and Sheinelle, Grier told Jones and guest co-host Justin Sylvester about roles he passed on playing, including the perpetually insecure George Costanza.

Grier confirmed rumors that he passed on starring in Ace Ventura, Pet Detective, a role that ultimately went to Jim Carrey. "Ace Ventura was a script that was passed around. I think when they came to me, they said me and Rob Schneider. And I passed on it, because it was a bad script."

The Tony Award winner said that Carrey saw an opportunity to have "total freedom" in the role. "He took that script and reinvented it. That's why it was so successful."

David Alan Grier in Beverly Hills in June 2025Credit: Gilbert Flores/Getty

Sylvester then brought up how Grier "fumbled George Costanza." "You could have been on Seinfeld," he exclaimed. Grier confirmed that he did audition for the role, which ultimately went to Jason Alexander. He read with the show's creator and star Jerry Seinfeld, and recalled thinking, "this man can't act, it's not funny, this will never be a hit."

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"Well, wrong again!" Grier added. "The bag was fumbled, off I went."

This isn't the first time Grier has spoken about potentially being on Seinfeld. During a 2019 appearance on The Howard Stern Show, he recalled reading lines with Seinfeld.

"I was like, 'This show is going to suck. This will never go," Grier said at the time, clarifying that he was never offered the role but had simply auditioned. After the show made it to air, he felt differently and regretted not getting the role.

"I was like, 'S---, I should've been better and why the f--- did I blow off that audition," Grier recalled. "It was like, 'So what?' Right over my head."

Michael Richards, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jerry SeinfeldCredit: NBC/Getty

Alexander mentioned on a February episode of his and Peter Tilden's podcast Really? No, Really? that other actors he knew of who could've been George were Larry Miller, Chris Rock, Danny DeVito, Paul Shaffer, and Rosie O'Donnell.

In the same episode, Seinfeldia author Jennifer Keishin Armstrong added that even though Steve Buscemi was "so off the beaten path," he was also up for the part, which eventually earned Alexander seven Emmy nominations and four Golden Globe nominations.

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