Man Blames Marriage Ref for His Divorce; Seinfeld Responds: "I Love It!"
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld is laughing off claims that NBC's The Marriage Ref caused the divorce of a former contestant.
Howie Kohlenberg is blaming the comic and the NBC series he executive-produces for causing the breakdown of his marriage to his wife of 14 years. He claims the show caused his wife to become obsessed with stardom, essentially ruining their relationship, according to the New York Post.
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"The people on the show were pumping us up, saying, 'You're going to wake up and be stars. You're going to be famous and make money,'" Kohlenberg says. "The producer kept saying her lips looked great, and all of a sudden she was getting a lot of Botox."
Kohlenberg claims that when their episode aired — they appeared in the March 4, 2010 premiere — his wife flew to California for a bit part in an indie film, where she met a producer from Canada and went to live with him.
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"I love it, I love, I love it!" Seinfeld told the New York Daily News in response to hearing of Kohlenberg's claims that the show is at fault. "When people get upset I enjoy it. That he's having problems and blaming me, it's all — anything that alleviates the withering, blithering boredom of existence I'm in favor of."
The second season of The Marriage Ref premiered Sunday night to 4.57 million viewers.