Jerry Seinfeld's Clio Acceptance Speech

Last night, comedian Jerry Seinfeld deadpanned at the CLIOs: “I love advertising because I love lying…”
The 55th annual CLIO Awards, the most prestigious international advertising awards, were held in NYC. Whoopi Goldberg hosted the event, which also featured a performance by Aloe Blacc and lively acceptance speeches from CLIO Honorary winners Blondie (Debbie Harry and Chris Stein) and Jerry Seinfeld.

[@Lesinator]

Got to love the fact that he calls them all liars and thieves, that their job is a blight on society and tells them their award means nothing and they still cheer him.

[@DavidTa2]

If anyone is gonna tell you youre shit, may as well be Jerry in a comedic style 😂

[@ErikPukinskis]

Honestly, I hear some sincerity in his voice. It's the best kind of sarcasm, where the sarcasm and the earnestness kind of blend together in the middle. He really does like things.

[@psterud]

I honestly want to read "Soulful Materialism" by Jerry Seinfeld.

[@IbraheemSatti]

I love how he said whats in his mind and delivered it flawlessly. Its brilliant

[@ChrisDragotta]

He wrote it out and edited it.

[@madderthanever]

One of the best acceptance speeches of all time, from any award ceremonies you can think of. Seinfeld went full-Gervais without looking like a dick doing it. Now that's talent.

[@bettypsycapprentice6544]

Jerry Seinfeld does the best award speeches ever 😜

[@billytheweasel]

Gervais was cool tho, dick and all.

[@tarico4436]

I know I'm a little late to the party, well, 8 years late, but I'd like to say that Ricky is not a wiener. He is one of the funniest dudes in the last 20 years. Like Robin Williams or Steve Martin. Him calling all of Hollywood a bunch of pedos RIGHT TO THEIR FACES at the Golden Globes was both funny and (more and more it's turning out) correct.

[@christomorpho]

Seinfel is being sincere, he does actually mean what he says when he aproves.

[@TonyBi]

That's Gold, Jerry! GOLD!!!

[@JasonScoopComedy]

I don’t think people in the comments understand, my interpretation of this is he was being completely serious.

[@jimidaly0]

My favorite part of his rant against advertising is when he said he'd give away the millions of dollars he made from television sponsored by it. And to specifically say he'd give it all to people directly suffering from debt accrued during his time as a spokesman for American Express, well, that's why he deserves this award.

[@christomorpho]

Seinfel is being sincere, he does actually mean what he says when he aproves.

[@OrdinaryVisionaries]

Jerry's comments were less about advertising than about human nature and the delusion that anything you buy can actually make you happy. We are always searching for happiness. And we think it lies in some external thing or experience or person. And when we get that thing, we momentarily feel happy. But even if that thing is pretty good and more or less lives up to the hype of advertising, before too long we are back in the search for happiness. So Jerry was, as he always has, pointing to how slightly crazy we all are, searching for something in nothing. Real happiness lies elsewhere and I suspect Jerry knows exactly where. In my opinion, it was brilliant, the equal of a zen master.

[@batswbennett]

Happiness is not a state of being, but a fleeting emotion, and therefore all of this makes perfect sense.

[@user-pk4dk8fx9n]

here from the tim dillon show

[@alsoknownas875]

The people in the audience understand that Jerry is lampooning them. They are laughing because they largely agree with how meaningless it all is, ultimately. People seem confused about that, not sure why.

[@sublimelove23]

And what else can ya do except realize how true it is, scream and laugh, and then sip your booze to swallow that painful reality down

[@Nick-hp2ul]

Everything is meaningless, life is meaningless stop trying to find meaning of your worthless life because there is none, do the things that makes u happy and just kill time until we drop dead that is life, we don't even know if we will be here tomorrow or next hr and we make big plans and search meaning lol hilarious

[@MominMalikYT]

Tim Dillon sent me here.

[@robedward1324]

You pig.

[@draindraindrain_7242]

💯

[@ncdfan]

They all cheered while he pissed on all of them. It's like he was speaking to a room of R Kelly's girlfriends.

[@AshBowie]

I wish I could like this a thousand times.

[@frostychickenprods]

He doesn't really do satire but here he's brilliant.

[@ShawnRavenfire]

Best acceptance speech ever.

[@Mile30]

He turned that acceptance speech into a roast. Reminded me of Carlin! George Carlin - National Press Club [complete]

[@willdaly9800]

jesus, half the crowd doesn't get it

[@luchini]

They don't get it because they are caught up in their self-absorbed ad life and they're at the ad awards thinking they are creative Gods. I wish them enlightenment.

[@fleeb]

luchini Or, maybe, possibly, they really do get it, and love that someone is highlighting just how awful the whole thing is.

[@Pat86]

they get it. they just try to cover it up.

[@johnnyjohnny6174]

Literally everyone "gets it" bro. He was hardly subtle.

[@Wladislav]

Bill Hicks would have enjoyed this.

[@MattUebel]

Amazing.

[@IvanRaszl]

I was there. It was fun. :)

[@panchoottino8479]

this was a real Clio award ceremony or is it just a stand-up?

[@capowable]

I hope they keep giving this man an award😂 Gold!

[@tamoochin3071]

Great speech Jerry. You are at this point in your life for a reason.

[@israelg6283]

When I start losing hope in life, I watch this 😂

[@mazew10]

The level of sarcasm. Brilliant!

[@Monster_Mover_Stocks]

Wow...and all that without needing the use of a teleprompter.

[@WonkaVator72]

This speech should be the advertisement for the 2015 CLIO Awards. And then it should be nominated for a CLIO ... in a never-ending downward spiral.

[@brucehunter8355]

Hahaha! Awesome! Having been in radio for 16 years as a Newscaster In radio, this rings true!!😃

[@Max-zv8hm]

How do you break into the industry? I’m volunteering at the station currently

[@occamsrayzor]

Best awards speech, ever!

[@MrBruinman86]

Wow, brutally honest and they just ate it right up.

[@EinhanderSn0m4n]

Best. Seinfeld. Ever.

[@frostychickenprods]

He's like Colbert here. Satirizing them from inside

[@dwinosam]

KEVIN PIASTRA: COMEDIAN colbert is like him

[@DanielSimpson]

That was incredible.

[@RIXRADvidz]

there, I'm Happy. and I'll be happy until I click on to the next video. am I lying? or am I advertising?..XP same thing!...thank you for the download and thank you Mr Seinfeld for your mind's eye on the world. it's a good thing your mouth is hooked up correctly, too.

[@bennydanielz8762]

The worlds most honest man!!!💖💖💖💖💖

[@JohnWolfe]

*nervous laughter*

[@IS-BE-yt7jk]

This is best I've ever seen from him

[@orgrg1525]

I feel like this is one of the tightest 5s of all time, and he only performed it once.

[@NitishRajpurohit7]

Right on the spot! Jerry gives the most honest speech about advertising and it resonates. No one gets excited to watch the ads. If we had a choice, we would never watch em.

[@ChrisDragotta]

Actually he said exactly the opposite.

[@VanderlooGames]

the funniest and most self-aware speech in the history of awards speeches

[@StarCrusher.]

This is true talent.

[@lucasaccardo360]

probably his best bit ever

[@ts4gv]

definitely the best one ive seen

[@ShivnarayanDhuppar]

Amazing, amazing! Amazingly put, an epitome for sardonicism... :D :)

[@AndroidFan235]

Great speech! Now get back to showing me more ads Google!!!!

[@IceColdProfessional]

A breath of fresh air.

[@psterud]

Fan-fucking-tastic. Someone speaking the truth straight to the face without political correctness.

[@psterud]

By the way, if anyone hasn't seen Bill Hicks' bit on advertising and marketing, it's similar and well worth it: watch?v=gDW_Hj2K0wo

[@psterud]

***** I agree. It's not going to change anyone. I hope at the very least it plants a little seed in the back of some of their brains that will itch a little when it grows.

[@333Alastair]

This just cements Jerry Seinfeld’s legendary status

[@jeffy911]

WOW!

[@RoiTrigerman]

Simply Genius.

[@chetanjoshi8766]

He perfectly perfected the Sarcasm and I can't even praise the Sarcasm sarcastically.

[@jeffysoule2076]

Fantastic!!

[@idyllicdistrict2786]

WOWWWWWWWWW MAD RESPECT!

[@nickmarcus1940]

a true master of his craft

[@djtrixen]

LMAO!! Jerry is the man!

[@siriosstar4789]

He's NOT kidding !

[@craigejacobs]

If this pisses you off you are probably in advertising.

[@kbeatbot2110]

Tim Dillon brought me here

[@steveeichenbaum7271]

Jerry WON a Clio for our ad agency for TV spots he did for a Milwaukee Sub sandwich shop. BEFORE american express and before SEINFELD. And he was great at advertising. So cut him some slack. It's about being FUNNY.

[@irapost4612]

Brilliant!

[@mattomedia]

Love it

[@patsol3471]

Brilliant, comedy needs to laugh about life and about society, this was a speech even South Park creators will respecto.

[@Hahahanoyes]

Dude is so underrated now

[@Rawdiswar]

This is how Mad Men should have ended...Insert Don Draper for Jerry Seinfeld and put a bit more of an edge to it.

[@WakeUpMissoula]

At this moment he channeled George Carlin.

[@DavidTa2]

I want to buy "Soulful Materialism, a book" by Jerry Seinfeld. Im almost certain it would make me happy.

[@followyourbliss101]

truth in advertising...

[@kevinpiastra]

Colbert Report level satire

[@ridskog]

Lovely.

[@baTonkaTruck]

People in advertising and sales are right on with the existential absurd. Why do it? Because as long as you do it with gusto, it’s as good a thing to do as any.

[@jamesr141]

Jerry loves the Mad Men era and he's dressed like Don Draper.

[@InHzWill]

Whoopi is wearing them heels thoe... Lol

[@mikeg6988]

This makes me want to get into advertising!

[@mikeytopaz4601]

Because of course it does.

[@734wheeler5]

@@mikeytopaz4601 that’s gold, mike! Gold!!

[@mikeytopaz4601]

@@734wheeler5 This speech is a reminder as to why this guy was a king for an entire decade.

[@gabkoost]

Finally, an advertiser who says the truth.

[@JeremyLampkin7]

I wonder if this is where they thought up the name Miss Cleo. She epitomized this award.

[@jeremyhle]

Awesome but what's with the airline food?

[@bblass82]

That's the funniest I've ever seen him

[@austinhensley6553]

Real shit right there

[@DrewberTravels]

Does anybody understand the 1991 reference? Could you let me know what happened because it sounds pretty interesting for Seinfeld to be bringing it up in 2014.

[@guillermozalles9303]

Seinfeld's next acceptance speech will go like this, "I thank you for this award. Fuck you. Goodnight."

[@raghav4973]

What do you do when they give you an award which SUCKS, you give a GREAT acceptance speech.

[@candymantilla]

Genial

[@cliojensen2512]

I only watched this video because my name is Clio :)

[@jubblinging]

Is it just me or does Jerry sound a bit like Estelle Costanza now?

[@ggsd4903]

Kinda dark.. I like it

[@gkundo]

For people calling Jerry a hypocrite. He's not trying to be a messiah or politician or activist. People need to understand this and stop treating Seinfeld's comedy as some sort of social activism. He is all about observational humor--this world is a funny place and we all, including him, live in it. Honestly, advertising/marketing is really cool in the art that it is. But the reality that Jerry points out is absolutely true, not by opinion, but harsh reality. And people, especially consumers, get fooled by marketing/advertising all the time. Why people wait in line to get the LATEST iPhone every year or why people pay premiums to get the same product on the first day rather than wait a few weeks later to pay the normal price, is example enough of the truth of advertising. Yet consumers and society in general treats advertising and marketing as the golden word. Why political tv ads are still relevant is also representative of this. People take BS as gold. And it's just silly when you really think about it. But it's the world we live in. And Jerry is pointing that out. He's not an activist, just an observer of reality. And since he's a comedian, NOT AN ACTIVIST, he described this reality in a humorous way. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT? Advertisers know what the advertising craft is all about. And Jerry told that reality in a humorous way. If it was a philosopher or politician talking seriously, this audience would be reacting very differently. But WHAT CLASSIC JERRY IS DOING IS JUST HELPING US TO LAUGH AT OURSELVES IN THIS VERY FUNNY WORLD WE LIVE IN.

[@Grero]

Is the 1991 CLIO awards available anywhere?

[@FuehrtZuNichts]

Advertising: much ado about nothing. Jerry knows what he's talking about! ;)

[@abdosoliman6566]

Guys, he was just advertising his book-chill

[@Lukasbimba93]

Man, my side hurts lol

[@NeoMyers]

Is anyone else here because Tim Dillon just referenced this on Joe Rogan?

[@otnemem]

The Acura people must be delighted...

[@goopyballs]

What happened to that luscious hair I knew and loved

[@romercial]

Jerry Seinfeld insumeaza ce inseamna advertisingul, in cea mai prestigioasa decernare de premii din industrie : Premiile CLIO.

[@DEO777]

4:32 Is navigating a stage that difficult that they had to hire a woman to point to the direction to exit?

[@hennythingispossible11]

the pig sent me here

[@sardonicstuffedtiger]

"I got this! I didn't really win it but I got it. And tomorrow I don't know where this is going to be; it'll be somewhere. Eventually I'll be dead and someone will just take it or sell it or throw it out and that's fine. I'm happy now! The same way those executives were in 1991 when they ran on to this stage and grabbed trophies that weren't theirs. But it trumped up their phony careers and meaningless lives. So thank you all for this great honor and for all your great work. I hope it makes you happy as you have made me happy for this 5 minutes of my life. Which will last until I get to the edge of this stage and it hits me that this was all a bunch of nonsense. Thank you and have a great evening." lol... In this video Jerry Seinfeld shits all over the advertising award he's just been given and the careers of the people who gave it to him during his acceptance speech. Brilliant.

[@chancegreenisdead]

Thanks Tim Dillon

[@nuggets93]

sarcasm is funny

[@colonelchaunceybuttersnap2]

Funniest Irishman alive,Ever!

[@samuelfigueira6716]

True!

[@bradleyjohnson6107]

Tim Dillon took this overall concept and ran with it. It’s working.

[@colinpperkins]

Interesting coming from a guy that has appeared in a lot of commercials, including for credit cards which are largely responsible for people spending money they don't have on things they don't need.

[@joannenelson7937]

Does he own the credit card companies? If not, then he's not advertising. He's acting. That is, after all, how he earns a living.

[@colinpperkins]

***** He's not acting, he's appearing as himself. And when you do that you offer your tacit endorsement of the product. Also, he has a net worth of more than three-quarters of a BILLION dollars. He doesn't need the money.

[@malinwj1167]

Often times, celebs that do commercials donate their earnings to charities.

[@colinpperkins]

***** HE HAS $800,000,000.

[@matth6541]

He has $800,000