Jerry Seinfeld has become the latest elder statesman of comedy to decry the impact of cancel culture, joining the likes of Dave Chappelle, Ricky Gervais and John Cleese in blaming political correctness for hurting the craft.

The comedian is on the promotional circuit for his new film, Unfrosted, a Netflix movie about the race to create Pop-Tarts in the 1960s. Speaking to David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker, ahead of the film’s release, Seinfeld turned to the current state of comedy and the disappearance of his favoured format: the sitcom.

“It used to be, you would go home at the end of the day, most people would go, ‘Oh, Cheers is on. Oh, M*A*S*H is on. Oh, Mary Tyler Moore is on. All in the Family is on.’ You just expected there will be some funny stuff we can watch on TV tonight. Well, guess what – where is it?” asked Seinfeld.

“This is the result of the extreme left and PC crap, and people worrying so much about offending other people.”

Seinfeld, who turned 70 on Monday, then explained that the shift was a bonus for live performers, as audiences turned to stand-up for comedy that wasn’t “overpoliced”.

“Now they’re going to see stand-up comics because they are not policed by anyone,” he said. “The audience polices us. We know when we’re off track. We know instantly, and we adjust to it instantly.

“But when you write a script, it goes into four or five different hands, committees, groups: ‘Here’s our thought about this joke.’ Well, that’s the end of your comedy.”

Seinfeld, whose sitcom ended in 1998 with the much-debated two-part finale, is convinced that many jokes would no longer fly in today’s climate.