Summary
- Patrick Warburton's '80s-style mustache made him unrecognizable on an Australian morning show in 2024.
- Warburton dreamed of being on Seinfeld before landing his role as Puddy, but couldn't commit to a bigger role due to another show.
- Warburton later reunited with Jerry Seinfeld in the animated film Bee Movie in 2007 after their time together on Seinfeld.
Many stars of the classic sitcom Seinfeld have continued to make waves in Hollywood, decades after the series’ incredible run on NBC. One of them could not be as quickly identified by fans, though, when he appeared on a breakfast show in Australia in July 2024.
Seinfeld premiered on NBC in July 1989, and ran for nine seasons and 180 episodes until May 1998. Since then, main star Jerry Seinfeld has gone on to become one of the richest comedians in the world. He has done so while working on multiple projects, including the Netflix talk show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus won endless awards as Selina Meyer on Veep, while other regular, recurring and occasional stars have also largely remained in the public domain. One face which fans struggled to recognize was that of Patrick Warburton, who famously wanted nothing to do with Jerry on the set of Seinfeld.
Patrick Warburton Looked “Unrecognizable” On Australia’s Breakfast Show “Today”
Patrick Warburton appeared in an episode of the Australian morning show Today in July 2024, but he looked like a completely different person from the one who starred in Seinfeld decades ago. This was thanks to the ‘80s-style mustache that he sported during the rare appearance, which was described as leaving him looking “unrecognizable.”
Warburton played the character David Puddy in Seinfeld, often simply referred to by that second name. Puddy was depicted as the on-and-off boyfriend of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character, Elaine Benes.
On the show, Warburton was usually seen without any facial hair whatsoever, but with a head full of hair. On Today in 2024, he appeared with a very bushy mustache, the kind that was all the rage in the 1980s.
Unlike his usual capless cameos in Seinfeld in the ‘90s, Warburton was also donning a black baseball hat this time around. The hat bore the name Sub Pop, the record label most famous for giving Nirvana their start in the music industry.
Warburton was Down Under at the time as he was set to attend the Metro Comic Con, which usually brings together stakeholders from the worlds of film, TV, animation, gaming, and more. The actor himself has worked not just on the big and small screen, but as various voice characters in video games.

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Speaking with Today, Warburton recalled how he had dreamed of being on Seinfeld shortly before he was cast on the show: “I remember sitting on the couch watching it with my wife, and I remember looking at her and saying ‘Why can't I get on this show?’... Two weeks later I went in to read for Jerry and Larry David, and it went well and they brought me on.'
Patrick Warburton Could Have Had A Bigger Role In Seinfeld
Patrick Warburton first featured in Seinfeld as Puddy in April 1995, in the episode titled The Fusilli Jerry (Season 6, episode 20). Working as a mechanic, he was introduced as a new love interest for Elaine who had also previously enjoyed a friendship with her friend Jerry, portrayed by Seinfeld as a fictional version of himself.
Patrick Warburton has a net worth of $20 million.
Warburton reprised the role in the 22nd episode of that same season as well. In those two appearances, he did such a good job that the producers wanted his role to become bigger as the series entered its seventh season later that year. Unfortunately, the actor was not able to commit to a return to Seinfeld, at least not until the ninth and final season in 1997/98.
Speaking in an interview about the decision, he said, “I could have done a lot more but I was already signed on [to] another show called Dave's World… and so for two years I was getting calls every now and then about my availability for Seinfeld and I couldn't do it.”

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Dave’s World followed the lives of columnist Dave Barry, as well as his wife Beth and their two sons Tommy and Willie. Warburton joined the show in the second season. His character, Eric, was hired by the Barrys to help with work around the house. He ends up in a romantic relationship with Dave’s assistant Mia, portrayed by J.C. Wendel.
Patrick Warburton stayed away from Jerry Seinfeld on-set, not wanting to annoy him or get in his way.
The series was canceled after four seasons in 1997, which gave Warburton the golden opportunity to return to Seinfeld.
Patrick Warburton And Jerry Seinfeld Reunited In The Bee Movie In 2007
After being denied the opportunity to work together for a longer period in Seinfeld, Patrick Warburton and Jerry Seinfeld would join forces on a project once again nearly ten years later. This time, it was in the animated comedy film Bee Movie of 2007.
Patrick Warburton's Biggest Roles Since Seinfeld
Role | Production Title | Medium |
---|---|---|
Joe Swanson | Family Guy (1999-) | TV show (voice role, 300+ episodes) |
Johnny Johnson | NewsRadio (1998-1999) | TV show (5 episodes) |
Kronk | The Emperor's New Groove (2000) | Film |
Agent T | Men in Black II (2002) | Film |
Jeb Denton | Less than Perfect (2003-2006) | TV show (49 episodes) |
Brock Samson | The Venture Bros. (2003-2018) | TV show (71 episodes) |
Ken | Bee Movie (2007) | Film (voice role) |
Jeff Bingham | Rules of Engagement (2007-2013) | TV show (100 episodes) |
Guy | Ted (2012) | Film (voice role) |
Lemony Snicket | A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017-2019) | TV show (25 episodes) |
The picture was directed by Simon J. Smith, and told the story of Barry B. Benson (voiced by Seinfeld), a bee who graduates from college and is disillusioned with the prospect of working at the hive's honey factory for the rest of his life.
In search of something more meaningful, Barry ventures into the human world, where he befriends a florist named Vanessa, voiced by Renée Zellweger. This unusual friendship leads to a series of adventures, culminating in Barry suing the human race for exploiting bees and stealing their honey.
Warburton played Vanessa’s boyfriend Ken, who attempts to squash and kill Barry but is saved by his newly found human friend. For the actor, it was a welcome opportunity to work with Seinfeld again, after their time together had been shortened by his stint in Dave’s World.
Seinfeld and Warburton did not actually meet physically for Bee Movie, but the Family Guy star told Vulture that it was a deeper connection than Seinfeld: “I worked more with Jerry on Bee Movie than I did on Seinfeld,” he said. “We all recorded individually, and then there was Jerry, the voice of Barry, in there with you helping to guide and direct the scenes.”

Seinfeld
- Release Date
- 1989 - 1998
- Network
- NBC
- Showrunner
- Larry David
Cast
- Jerry Seinfeld
- Jason AlexanderGeorge Costanza
- Michael RichardsCosmo Kramer
- Elaine Benes
- Directors
- David Steinberg, David Owen Trainor, Art Wolff, Jason Alexander
- Writers
- Darin Henry, Bruce Eric Kaplan, Bill Masters, Bruce Kirschbaum, Steve O'Donnell, Tom Leopold, Don McEnery, Greg Daniels, Jon Hayman, Kit Boss, Lawrence H. Levy, Matt Goldman, Matt Selman, Billy Kimball, Fred Stoller, Charlie Rubin, Steve Lookner, Steve Skrovan
- Seasons
- 9
- Franchise
- Seinfeld
- Story By
- Jerry Seinfeld
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
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