Jerry Seinfeld Defends Himself After Rebuffing Kesha's Hug

Seinfeld devotees know that Jerry is vehemently opposed to the idea of "the kiss hello." As Kesha learned the hard way earlier this week, he's also not here for the idea of hugging total strangers, even if they happen to be fellow celebs. In a cringeworthy video that immediately went viral, the singer approached Seinfeld while he was being interviewed on the red carpet of the National Night of Laughter and Song event at the Kennedy Center.

Kesha introduced herself and immediately went in for a hug, only to be rebuffed. Three times.

In a follow-up interview with Extra TV, Seinfeld reiterated what he said on the red carpet: He really had no idea who Kesha was and he simply doesn't hug strangers.

"I'm 63," Seinfeld told AJ. In case we missed it the first time, he went on to add, “I don’t know every pop star. I don’t know everyone."

How many ways can you express that you don't know Kesha? In Seinfeld's case, the answer is "quite a few."

“When you get to be my age and you’ve done a couple things, you have your own reality. In my reality, I don't hug a total stranger," he said. “I’m sure I would’ve liked her, but I need to know, Who are you?”

When AJ pointed out that Kesha has likely been watching him for years, Seinfeld assured him he's flattered by that. “But the TV only works one way. I can’t see out who’s watching," he pointed out.

Don't worry, the story (sort of) has a happy ending. Seinfeld says that he and Kesha laughed about the incident backstage. Sadly, a hug just wasn't in the cards for Kesha even after they were introduced in a slightly less awkward setting.

So if you were wondering what a 2017 episode of Seinfeld episode might be about, now you know.