Seinfeld’s Shocking Susan Ross Death, Explained

by

As a huge fan, I always felt Seinfeld was more than just a show about ‘nothing.’ It really explored how flawed and, frankly, awful people can be. Looking back, you could even argue that Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer were the villains of their own story! Think about how they treated Susan Ross, especially during her relationship with George – she was constantly the butt of their jokes, and it wasn’t always pretty.

Throughout the series, a series of unfortunate events unfolded for the characters: Kramer accidentally destroyed the Ross family’s cabin, George caused Susan to lose her job, and Susan eventually found a partner, only to be left heartbroken by Kramer. In Season 7, George proposed to Susan but panicked and tried to avoid marrying her, ultimately leading to her tragic death. The reasons behind these storylines and the character’s fates were surprisingly influenced by factors happening with the actors themselves.

Who Was Susan Ross on Seinfeld?

Heidi Swedberg played Susan Ross, who first appeared in Season 4 of Seinfeld as an NBC executive. She listened to Jerry and George pitch their idea for a show-within-a-show, called Jerry. Soon after, she began dating George, but their relationship ended when George awkwardly kissed her in front of his coworkers, costing her her job. George, clueless as usual, mistakenly believed his actions were the reason she started dating a woman.

After Kramer interferes with Susan’s relationship, she briefly vanishes before returning. This season starts with Jerry and George deciding they want to get married, prompting George to come up with the plan to propose to Susan. When Jerry changes his mind about their agreement, George is stuck going through with the wedding despite his attempts to avoid it.

Next, in the segment called “The Invitations,” Susan tragically dies after being poisoned by licking the glue on wedding invitations. When George and the rest of the group are informed of her death, they react with surprising indifference, barely even seeming to care – a darkly humorous moment for the viewers.

Why Did Jason Alexander Want Susan Killed Off?

Although it seems like the dramatic way Susan left the show was always planned, the real reason is more nuanced. Heidi Swedberg, the actress who played Susan, left due to disagreements with the other cast members, which led to her character being written out.

Susan because the rest of the cast had trouble sharing scenes with her.

I remember hearing that when the writers told Jason Alexander – you know, the guy who played George – that George and Susan were going to get married, he wasn’t exactly happy about it! But it wasn’t just his concerns that led to Heidi Swedberg leaving the show. It actually took a lot of people agreeing that it was the right move.

Jason Alexander’s Disdain Slowly Spread Throughout the SeinfeldCast

Once filming finished on each episode of Seinfeld, Larry David and the cast would all go out to dinner together. During the seventh season, Jason Alexander frequently complained about his scenes with Heidi Swedberg. At first, the other actors didn’t understand his complaints, as none of them had scenes with her alone. But after several episodes where they did act with Heidi, they finally realized what Jason had been going through.

The main issue for the cast was that Heidi Swedberg didn’t give them much to work with as actors. Since acting relies on reacting, the stars of Seinfeld found it difficult to respond to anything Swedberg did. This frustration led Julia Louis-Dreyfus to jokingly say during a dinner, “Don’t you just want to kill her?” – a comment that sparked the idea for a storyline Larry David would later develop.

After Jason Alexander shared the surprising story behind the character Susan’s departure from Seinfeld, he quickly explained a few things. He emphasized that the cast members had no personal issues with Heidi Swedberg, the actress who played Susan; the problem was simply a lack of on-screen chemistry between her and the other actors. In a tweet, Alexander clarified that his story on the Howard Stern Show wasn’t meant to suggest anyone disliked Heidi as a person – they just felt the character Susan didn’t fit with the show.

Alexander shared that while everyone loved Heidi Swedberg’s performance as Susan, their on-screen chemistry wasn’t always easy for him as her co-star. He regrets not being more open to her suggestions, admitting he lacked the maturity and confidence to collaborate effectively. He praised Swedberg as generous and gracious and feels bad about any way he’s told the story that might downplay her contributions. He acknowledges she offered ideas to improve their scenes, but he didn’t have the experience to recognize and embrace them at the time.

Jerry Seinfeld explained that the decision to kill off Susan was based on the writers wanting to have at least one major character die during the show’s run, and they ultimately felt Susan was the most suitable choice.

Considering what Jason Alexander has said, removing Susan from the show was likely the best decision. The show’s humor came from its focus on ‘nothing,’ and keeping Susan around could have changed that core element that made it so successful.

Even almost twenty years after it aired, the death of Susan on Seinfeld remains one of television’s most surprising, ridiculous, and hilarious scenes. Larry David had always aimed to challenge what was considered acceptable on television, and this moment really cemented that approach for the show. Looking back, killing off Susan Ross hinted at the generally unhappy fate of all the main characters – Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer – as the series concluded.

Ultimately, the main characters of Seinfeld faced consequences for their actions, landing in prison. Though Susan’s death wasn’t the sole reason, it highlighted just how awful they could be, and served as one of many moments demonstrating their terrible behavior.

Read More

2026-05-05 03:38