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The Moment a Young Jerry Seinfeld Realized He Could Make People Laugh

Aired on 09/24/1990 | CC tv-pg
During a 1990 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld opened up to Oprah about how comedy is his life's purpose. "If you have this ability to give people a laugh," Jerry said, "it's such a great feeling that you just do whatever it takes to do it."

Looking back, the award-winning writer, actor and director first realized he had this ability when he was a child. In fact, he could pinpoint the moment he realized he had the gift: He was enjoying cookies and milk with a friend when he made his friend laugh so hard that he spit the cookies and milk in Jerry's face. "I liked it. You know, I thought this is a good feeling," he said, cracking up the studio audience. "I felt like I was the captain of a ship."

Watch as Oprah picks Jerry's brain about what makes the legendary comedian tick, including whether he's competitive with his peers and why he isn't bothered by other comics stealing his material.