Background

Jason Alexander was born Jason Scott Greenspan on September 23, 1959 in Newark, New Jersey. He was raised by Jewish parents in New Jersey and later attended Boston University with plans to pursue a career in theater. He transitioned to comedy, however, after a professor told him that due to his physical appearance, he was not likely to succeed as a dramatic actor. Recalls Alexander: “He [the professor] said to me, ‘Listen, I know you see yourself as a Hamlet, and you might actually be a really good Hamlet. But no one’s ever going to cast you in that way. So you might want to get good at Falstaff.’” Alexander left college early to pursue a professional acting career in New York City.

In 1981, Alexander appeared in his first film, The Burning, which was produced by Harvey Weinstein.

For most of the 1980s, Alexander performed minor roles in various television shows, theater productions, and films before being cast as George Costanza in the TV sitcom Seinfeld in 1989. Over the course of Seinfeld’s run from 1989-1998, Alexander won numerous awards for his portrayal of Costanza — a short, bald, neurotic, insecure character. During the final season of Seinfeld, Alexander reportedly earned as much as $600,000 per episode.

In 1997, Alexander appeared in a film called Love! Valour! Compassion!, in which he played an HIV-positive homosexual who spent his summer vacation in a house with seven other gay men.

Supporter of the Clintons

Like so many other Hollywood leftists, Alexander has long been a vocal supporter of the Democratic Party. In August 2000, he attended the Hollywood Gala Salute to then-outgoing President Bill Clinton — the largest tribute Hollywood had ever given to a U.S. president. The money raised by the event – for which attendees paid $1,000 apiece to drink cocktails and attend a star-studded concert, or $25,000 per couple to stay late and eat dinner – was used to fund the U.S. Senate campaign of then-First Lady Hillary Clinton.

The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

In February 2004, Alexander traveled to the Middle East on behalf of One Voice in an effort to promote peace negotiations between Israeli citizens and Palestinians. As the San Francisco Chronicle reported: “One Voice is asking ordinary Israelis and Palestinians to record their opinions on a list of 10 proposals — including the contentious issues of settlements, borders and the status of Jerusalem — by casting votes on the Internet, in newspaper ads and in voting booths throughout Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. The process, overseen by One Voice members, is open to anyone older than 15. After a rolling process of voting, redrafting and voting again, a ‘Citizen’s Mandate’ will be presented to the Israeli and Palestinian leaders.” “This initiative makes more sense than anything I’ve ever heard of in relation to this conflict,” said Alexander, who met with Israeli students, politicians and business executives in Tel Aviv before traveling to Ramallah to meet with their Palestinian counterparts. The Palestinians “were very excited about One Voice,” Alexander subsequently told reporters. “None of them seemed to have given up hope that they had a potential partner for peace on the Israeli side.”

Supporting Barack Obama for President

In 2008, Alexander was one of countless leftwing celebrities to openly endorse Barack Obama for president. On October 27, 2008, the actor marched in an “Early Vote For Change” rally supporting Obama in Pembroke Pines, Florida.

In September 2012, Alexander told a group of Iowa volunteers working for President Obama’s re-election, that he had a “man-crush” on the president, whom he described as a man of “conviction” and “principle.” Alexander also remarked that he did not think the nation “runs well when the one percent is thriving and the rest are suffering and struggling.” “I do not want to live in that 1-percent,” he stated as well. “I don’t believe in it.”

Supporting Same-Sex Marriage

In June 2011, Alexander praised New York’s passage of a bill that legalized same-sex marriages in that state. “Congratulations to humanity,” he wrote. “And particularly to the NY State Senate. I promise you have advanced mankind, not ruined it. Blessings.”

Apology for Jokes That Demeaned Homosexuals

In June 2012, Alexander apologized for having called the sport of cricket “a gay game” and a “queer British gay pitch” during a May 25 appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. He took to Twitter to post “A Message of Amends” that said, in part:

“The problem is that today, as I write this, young men and women whose behaviors, choices or attitudes are not deemed ‘man enough’ or ‘normal’ are being subjected to all kinds of abuse from verbal to physical to societal. They are being demeaned and threatened because they don’t fit the group’s idea of what a ‘real man’ or a ‘real woman’ are supposed to look like, act like and feel like.

“For these people, my building a joke upon the premise I did added to the pejorative stereotype that they are forced to deal with everyday. It is at the very heart of this whole ugly world of bullying that has been getting rightful and overdue attention in the media. And with my well-intentioned comedy bit, I played right into those hurtful assumptions and diminishments.

“And the worst part is – I should know better. My daily life is filled with gay men and women, both socially and professionally. I am profoundly aware of the challenges these friends of mine face and I have openly advocated on their behalf. Plus, in my own small way, I have lived some of their experience. Growing up in the ’70’s in a town that revered its school sports and athletes, I was quite the outsider listening to my musical theater albums, studying voice and dance and spending all my free time on the stage. Many of the same taunts and jeers and attitudes leveled at young gay men and women were thrown at me and on occasion I too was met with violence or the threat of violence.

“… [T]o the extent that these jokes made anyone feel even more isolated or misunderstood or just plain hurt – please know that was not my intention, at all or ever. I hope we will someday live in a society where we are so accepting of each other that we can all laugh at jokes like these and know that there is no malice or diminishment intended.

“But we are not there yet.

“So, I can only apologize and I do. In comedy, timing is everything. And when a group of people are still fighting so hard for understanding, acceptance, dignity and essential rights – the time for some kinds of laughs has not yet come. I hope my realization brings some comfort.”

Views on Gun Rights & Conservatives

On July 12, 2012, Alexander – in the aftermath of a mass shooting in a Colorado movie theater that resulted in 12 deaths — published a lengthy online post calling for the enactment of stricter gun-control laws nationwide, and likening conservative supporters of gun rights to maniacal terrorists:

“This morning, I made a comment about how I do not understand people who support public ownership of assault style weapons like the AR-15 used in the Colorado massacre.
That comment, has of course, inspired a lot of feedback. There have been many tweets of agreement and sympathy but many, many more that have been challenging at the least, hostile and vitriolic at the worst.

“Clearly, the angry, threatened and threatening, hostile comments are coming from gun owners and gun advocates. Despite these massacres recurring and despite the 100,000 Americans that die every year due to domestic gun violence — these people see no value to even considering some kind of control as to what kinds of weapons are put in civilian hands.

“Many of them cite patriotism as their reason — true patriots support the Constitution adamantly and wholly. Constitution says citizens have the right to bear arms in order to maintain organized militias…. So the patriots are correct, gun ownership is in the constitution — if you’re in a well-regulated militia…. The advocates of guns who claim patriotism and the rights of the 2nd Amendment — are they in well-regulated militias? For the vast majority — the answer is no….

“Then there are the tweets from the extreme right — these are the folk who believe our government has been corrupted and stolen and that the forces of evil are at play, planning to take over this nation and these folk are going to fight back and take a stand. And any moron like me who doesn’t see it should…
a. be labeled a moron
b. shut the fuck up
c. be removed

“And amazingly, I have some minor agreement with these folks. I believe there are evil forces at play in our government. But I call them corporatists. I call them absolutists. I call them the kind of ideologues from both sides, but mostly from the far right who swear allegiance to unelected officials that regardless of national need or global conditions, are never to levy a tax. That they are never to compromise or seek solutions with the other side. That are to obstruct every possible act of governance, even the ones they support or initiate. Whose political and social goal is to marginalize the other side, vilify and isolate them with the hope that they will surrender, go away or die out.

“These people believe that the US government is eventually going to go street by street and enslave our citizens. Now as long as that is only happening to liberals, homosexuals and democrats — no problem. But if they try it with anyone else — it’s going to be arms-ageddon and these committed, God-fearing, brave souls will then use their military-esque arsenal to show the forces of our corrupt government whats-what. These people think they meet the definition of a ‘militia’.  They don’t. At least not the constitutional one. And, if it should actually come to such an unthinkable reality, these people believe they would win. That’s why they have to ‘take our country back’. From who? From anyone who doesn’t think like them or see the world like them. They hold the only truth, everyone else is dangerous. Ever meet a terrorist that doesn’t believe that? Just asking….

“There is no excuse for the propagation of these weapons. They are not guaranteed or protected by our constitution. If they were, then we could all run out and purchase a tank, a grenade launcher, a bazooka, a SCUD missile and a nuclear warhead. We could stockpile napalm and chemical weapons and bomb-making materials in our cellars under our guise of being a militia.

“These weapons are military weapons. They belong in accountable hands, controlled hands and trained hands. They should not be in the hands of private citizens to be used against police, neighborhood intruders or people who don’t agree with you. These are the weapons that maniacs acquire to wreak murder and mayhem on innocents. They are not the same as handguns to help homeowners protect themselves from intruders. They are not the same as hunting rifles or sporting rifles. These weapons are designed for harm and death on big scales.”

Lamenting Wealth Inequality & “The One Percent”

In September 2012, Alexander told a group of Obama campaign volunteers in Iowa that he did not think America “runs well when the one percent is thriving and the rest are suffering and struggling.” “I do not want to live in that 1-percent,” he stated as well. “I don’t believe in it.”

Alexander’s “Go-To Joke”

In April 2013, a Harvard Crimson interviewer asked Alexander what his “go-to joke” was, to which the actor replied: “What’s the difference between Neil Armstrong and Michael Jackson? The answer: Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon, and Michael Jackson fucks little boys in the ass.”

Supporting Democrat Harley Rouda

In May 2018, Alexander appeared in a video promoting the campaign of then-Democrat congressional candidate Harley Rouda, who ultimately ousted longtime conservative Rep. Dana Rohrabacher in the historically Republican stronghold of Orange County, California.

Contempt for President Trump & Republicans

In October 2018, reports emerged that packages containing pipe bombs had been shipped anonymously to prominent Democrats like George Soros, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton. President Trump responded to the situation by calling for national unity, condemning the bomb dissemination as “abhorrent,” and blaming mainstream media outlets for contributing to America’s political division by means of “purposely false and inaccurate reporting.” Alexander, in turn, wrote on Twitter: “Did the President actually say that the media is responsible for inspiring this bomber to kill Trump critics?Folks, [sic] I’m sorry, the President is a disgraceful sub-human. Those who support his behavior, his words have something fundamentally wrong with them. No excuse for Trump.”

In June 2019, Alexander made an appearance in The Investigation: A Search for Truth in Ten Acts — an adapted, live performance of the Mueller report based upon Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s exhaustive investigation of alleged Trump-Russian collusion in the 2016 presidential election. The one-night-only performance was presented inside The Riverside Church in Manhattan.

On December 2, 2019, Alexander tweeted: “It saddens me that Republicans have this little concern for law, integrity, the Constitution and America.”

In a separate tweet later that day, Alexander wrote that various prominent Republicans — President Trump, Sen. Mitch McConnell, Rep. Jim Jordan, Rep. Devin Nunes, and Sen. Lindsey Graham — were “assets” of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “These fine guys think soliciting foreign countries to engage in our elections is not a crime or misdemeanor,” Alexander asserted. “Just GOP biz as usual.”

Near the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early April 2020, Alexander blasted President Trump’s handling of the crisis, writing on Twitter: “This is the most despicable man to ever inhabit the Oval Office. Thousands will die needlessly for his arrogance and incompetence. And if this doesn’t prove it to you, nothing will. We must remove this horror from power asap.”

In August 2020, Alexander hosted a fundraiser that took in some $200,000 in contributions for the presidential campaign of Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee. The event featured a “Virtual Conversation on Anti-Semitism,” moderated by Alexander. The other two participants in the discussion were Democrat members of Congress — Rep. Adam Schiff and Sen. Jacky Rosen – who joined Alexander in accusing President Trump and the Republican Party of fomenting bigotry against Jews. At one point in the proceedings, Alexander invited Rosen and Schiff to draw a connection between Trump’s rhetoric and the alleged rise in anti-Semitic activities during his term in office. “We have to assume that our president has exacerbated the problem,” said Alexander. “Adam, he typically refers to you as ‘Shifty Schiff,’ so he obviously plays into anti-Semitic tropes and stereotypes. How much do you hold him, and frankly the Republicans that echo and abet him, responsible for these increases in the amount of hate activity that we’re seeing?” Rosen interjected: “So many people are enabling the president. The rise of anti-Semitism just manifesting itself in different ways, whether it’s the left the right, the center, we have to call it out — but regardless of that, everything starts at the top.”

Lampooning the Christian Film Industry

In June 2019, Alexander joined the cast of Faith Based, a comedy film that parodied the Christian movie industry.

“Graduate Together”

In May 2020, Alexander participated in CNN’s “Graduate Together,” a virtual graduation ceremony for high-school seniors who, because of the COVID pandemic, were being deprived of an opportunity to graduate in the traditional manner. Other high-profile leftists who also took part in the event included Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Amy Schumer, Henry Winkler, LeBron James, and Pharrell Williams.

Supporting Juneteenth & Black Lives Matter

In June 2020, Alexander articulated his belief that Juneteenth should be recognized as a federal holiday, tweeting: “A black man inspired me to be an actor. Another black man changed the course of my career. A black woman raised me when my mother was too ill. Another black woman cared for my mother 17 years, holding her hand at her death. There is no me without them.” In that same tweet, Alexander included the hashtag “#BLM,” signaling his support for the radical Black Lives Matter movement.

Supporting Joe Biden for President

In September 2020, Alexander posted on Twitter: “I know Joe Biden is not a perfect man nor will he be a perfect leader. But I know he is a decent man. And one that believes America must work for all of us. I believe he will assemble a team that supports that truth.” That same day, Alexander noted that he had started tweeting about politics only after the 2016 election of President Trump, which he said had “turned a discussion about politics into a discussion about Democracy.”

Democrat Fundraisers

In August 2020, Alexander hosted a fundraiser that took in some $200,000 in contributions for the presidential campaign of Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee.

In October 2020, Alexander participated in a fundraiser alongside former Seinfeld co-workers Larry David and Julia Louis-Dreyfus to support Texas Democrats. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to host a ‘fundraiser about something’ for a terrific organization like the Texas Democratic Party, who are building the movement necessary to turn Texas blue in 14 days,” the trio noted.

Great Respect for President Biden

The day after Joe Biden’s first primetime address as president in March 2021, Alexander tweeted: “Last night I slept with a sense of ease and hope that I have not known for four solid years. The @POTUS spoke to the nation of sadness, hard work, good work and promise. He was honest. He was heartfelt and real. He was quiet and strong and selfless. What a damn difference.”

Supporting the “For The People Act”

On June 22, 2021, Alexander urged his Twitter followers to implore their respective U.S. senators to vote in favor of H.R.1 — the “For the People Act” — which he described as a bill that would be “great for our democracy.” As noted by Breitbart News, the misleadingly named legislation would “radically change American democracy, nationalizing elections and making permanent changes to voting rules that would virtually ensure Democrats never lose another election.” The Heritage Foundation, meanwhile, published an in-depth analysis stating that H.R.1 would:

• “Seize the authority of states to regulate voter registration and the voting process by forcing states to implement early voting, automatic voter registration, same-day registration, online voter registration, and no-fault absentee balloting.”
• “Degrade the accuracy of registration lists by requiring states to automatically register all individuals (as opposed to “citizens”) from state and federal databases.”
• “Require states to count ballots cast by voters outside of their assigned precincts, overriding the precinct system used by almost all states that allows election officials to monitor votes, staff polling places, provide enough ballots, and prevent election fraud.”
• “Mandate no-fault absentee ballots, which are the tool of choice for vote thieves. It would ban witness signature or notarization requirements for absentee ballots; force states to accept absentee ballots received up to 10 days after Election Day as long as they are postmarked by Election Day; and require states to allow vote trafficking (vote harvesting).”
• “Prevent election officials from checking the eligibility and qualifications of voters and removing ineligible voters.”
• “Ban state voter ID laws by forcing states to allow individuals to vote without an ID and merely signing a statement in which they claim they are who they say they are.”
• “Require states to restore the ability of felons to vote the moment they are out of prison regardless of uncompleted parole, probation, or restitution requirements.”
• “Transfer the right to draw congressional districts from state legislatures to ‘independent’ commissions whose members are unaccountable to voters.”
• “[P]ermit the IRS to investigate and consider the political and policy positions of nonprofit organizations before granting tax-exempt status, thus enabling IRS officials to target organizations engaging in First Amendment activity with disfavored views.”

Alexander’s Massive Wealth

As of 2023, Alexander’s estimated net worth was between $50 million and $90 million.