Jerry Seinfeld Issues Apology After Inadvertently ‘Insulting’ Howard Stern

Jerry Seinfeld is apologizing to Howard Stern after his recent comments about the radio host.

On the May 8 episode of David Spade and Dana Carvey’s Fly on the Wall podcast, Seinfeld, 70, brought up Stern, 70, as he talked about the state of comedy — and podcasting, in particular — with the hosts.

“Howard Stern invented this, right? But we’re better than him now,” Seinfeld said. “Because Howard is interesting. Howard is a great interviewer. But you know, comedy chops, I mean… Can we speak candidly?”

Seinfeld then said that Stern has “been outflanked” in the industry, and named Spade and Carvey’s joint podcast as an example of that as he called Fly on the Wall “the best [comedy podcast] on the air.”

In a statement shared with PEOPLE, the comedian addressed the comments, saying, “I really feel bad for what I said about my friend Howard Stern in a conversation with David Spade and Dana Carvey, talking about the glut of comedy podcasts. I meant to say he must feel surrounded but I said ‘outflanked’ which sounded terrible and insulting.”

Seinfeld continued, “And of course, none of these little shows are any threat to his giant show. Anyway, it was bad and I’m sorry, Howie. I still love you. Please forgive me.”

Reps for Stern did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

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Seinfeld has appeared on Stern’s show various times over the years, with his most recent appearance occurring in 2020 as he promoted his standup special 23 Hours to Kill.

During the conversation, Stern asked Seinfeld if he “wished the world was a little less judgmental,” as he jokingly asked for his thoughts on the coronavirus pandemic.

“I don’t care about the world. It’s what I like. I’m doing what I like. You do what you like, Howard,” Seinfeld said. “That is the genius of Howard Stern — I’m going to do it the way I want to do it and that’s what people respond to, that’s what they like. They don’t want you catering to them. They want you catering to yourself. That’s your art.”