Julia Louis-Dreyfus Says It Was 'Super Challenging' to Be a Mom DuringSeinfeldFame(Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Julia Louis-Dreyfusis opening up about a tough time in her career.

PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the Oct. 6 episode ofBe My Guest with Ina Garten, which will see Dreyfus join hostIna Gartenat her home in East Hampton, N.Y. The two ladies enjoy a Country French Omelette and chat about the 11-time Emmy winner’s rise to fame.

In the clip, the Barefoot Contessa asks the actress, “What was the toughest time in your career?”

Louis-Dreyfus recalls struggling to find work after her tenure onSaturday Night Livefrom 1982 to 1985, saying she experienced “a one, two, three year period in which I was really pounding pavement.” She says she filmed a pilot for a potential show during that time, “but then it didn’t go to series.”

(L-R) Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, Jerry Seinfeld on ‘Seinfeld’.NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty

“The other challenge for me in my career has been the juggling act,” she tells Garten. “Because while I was makingSeinfeld, for example, I gave birth toboth of my children. Super challenging, but also fabulous, because I was becoming very famous at this time and it really kept all of that in perspective.”

Louis-Dreyfus starred on the hit sitcom for all nine seasons from 1990 to 1998. She welcomed her first son Henry, 32, in 1992, with her husbandBrad Hall, whom she married in 1987. Their second son Charlie, 27, came a few years later in 1997.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Ina-Garten on ‘Be My Guest’.Food Network

Food Network

Garten then asks her about the creative ways the production would conceal her pregnancies. “Did they put you behind the potted plant so they couldn’t see that you were pregnant?” Garten asks.

“Yeah, well, let’s see. The first go round, yes. I stood behind things, I carried boxes, etc. By the time I was pregnant the second time, nobody cared,” says Louis-Dreyfus. “It was like it wasn’t happening. We just sort of…  I walked in, I was out to here, and no one said anything.”

Julia Louis-Dreyfus and her sons.ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty

On the full episode ofBe My Guest, Louis-Dreyfus “shares her amazing stories about the challenges atSaturday Night Live, life lessons learned from the iconic female guests on her podcastWiser Than Me, and her favorite standoutSeinfeldmoments,” per the synopsis.

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Garten also hosts “a chocolate cake frosting and piping masterclass” for Louis-Dreyfus, who picks it up fairly quickly.

Be My Guest with Ina Gartenairs Sundays at 12 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network.

source: people.com