"The Outing" is the 57th episode of the sitcom '' Seinfeld''. First aired on February 11, 1993 on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

, it is the 17th episode of the fourth season. In this episode, a reporter publicly "outs" Jerry and

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

as a homosexual couple, and they struggle to convince the rest of the world of their heterosexuality. The line "... not that there's anything wrong with that"—as a reference to

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...

—has become a popular catchphrase among fans.

Plot

While at

Monk's Café Monk's Café is a fictional coffee shop from the NBC sitcom ''Seinfeld''. The exterior of Tom's Restaurant on the corner of West 112th Street and Broadway, near Columbia University, which first appears in season 1 episode 3, "The Robbery," is ...

Elaine Benes Elaine Marie Benes () is a fictional character on the American television sitcom ''Seinfeld'', played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Elaine's best friend in the sitcom is her ex-boyfriend Jerry Seinfeld, and she is also good friends with George Costanz ...

notices a woman in a nearby booth eavesdropping, and as a prank speaks to Jerry Seinfeld and

George Costanza George Louis Costanza is a fictional character in the American television sitcom ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998), played by Jason Alexander. He is a short, stocky, balding man who struggles with numerous insecurities, often dooming his romantic rela ...

as if they were a closeted

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

couple. The eavesdropping woman turns out to be Sharon, a

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

reporter who is planning on interviewing Jerry. Later, Sharon visits Jerry's apartment to conduct the interview. His and George's conversation during the interview inadvertently solidifies her misconception that they are gay. Eventually, they recognize her from the coffee shop, and strenuously deny that they are gay. Nevertheless, the interview with Jerry is published in the school newspaper, and subsequently gets picked up by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

, " outing" Jerry and George to their readers. Throughout the episode, Jerry and George fear being seen as homosexual, yet also feel afraid they will be perceived as

homophobic Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred or antipathy, m ...

, so they condition their denials with the phrase "not that there's anything wrong with that." Sharon asks to see Jerry, leading to them kissing in his apartment. George decides to use his (fake) orientation as an excuse to break up with his girlfriend, Allison. George tries to act outraged at finding Jerry making out with Sharon to prove that he is homosexual to Allison, but when Jerry does not follow along, George's ruse fails to convince her and Sharon walks out. In a last-ditch attempt to get Allison to break up with him, George tells her he is a porn actor, but this only makes her even more attracted to him. Kramer enters his apartment with an attractive young man, causing George and Jerry to briefly wonder if he is gay. Kramer explains, "He's the phone man! ...Not that there's anything wrong with that."

Reception

Creators Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld were reportedly concerned about offending the gay community with this episode. Their concerns were unfounded, as "The Outing" won a GLAAD Media Award (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) for Outstanding Comedy Episode.Armstrong, Jennifer (7 July 2014)
"About nothing?: 10 issue-tackling ''Seinfeld'' episodes".
''A.V. Club''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Outing, The 1993 American television episodes 1993 in LGBT history American LGBT-related television episodes Seinfeld (season 4) episodes