TV Shows That Angered Their Real-Life Characters

What's the deal with Costanzas, anyway? In a story that could have been ripped from a Seinfeld script, Time reported in 1998 that Jerry Seinfeld was being sued by an old college buddy named Michael Costanza on charges of libel, slander, and unauthorized use of his identity. Michael Costanza and his lawyer argued that the character of George Costanza, as played by Jason Alexander, had stolen Michael's identity as a "short, heavyset, and bald" man, without giving proper credit. Costanza's lawyer stated that the portrayal of George as a "jerk" had been detrimental to Michael's life. The irony this, of course, is that suing Jerry for using his likeness sounds exactly like the sort of jerk-store thing that Alexander's George Costanza would've done.  

Now, every true Seinfeldian out there knows that the show's writer, Larry David, actually based George Costanza on himself. Seriously, just watch a few episodes of David's Curb Your Enthusiasm and you'll be convinced. Anyway, the Michael Costanza saga ended exactly like it would've ended if it were a Seinfeld episode: According to E! News, Michael Costanza not only lost his suit, but was ordered by the judge to pay a $2,500 fine for filing a frivolous complaint. Afterward, Larry David made it clear to the press that he wasn't surprised about the ruling, stating, "the universe would be out of kilter if someone named Costanza won anything." You know, unless he started always doing "the opposite"...

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