Jerry Seinfeld Admits “Sexual Aspect” of Bee Movie Is Not Appropriate for Kids

As movies go, 2007’s Bee Movie is an odd one. The animated film follows honey bee Barry B. Benson who sues the human race for exploiting bees upon learning from his human friend Vanessa Bloome – yes, Barry can talk to humans – that humans sell and consume honey and while the premise is a is a little unusual, it’s the relationship between Barry and Vanessa that raised a few eyebrows. Barry appears to have romantic feelings for Vanessa in the film and now, Bee Movie co-writer and star Jerry Seinfeld admits the “sexual aspect” of the film and says it’s not really appropriate for children.

Seinfeld, who provides the voice of Barry in the film, recently appeared on The Tonight Show in support of the release of Seinfeld on Netflix and he apologized for the uncomfortable aspect of Barry and Vanessa’s (Rene Zellweger) relationship in the movie.

“I apologize for what seems to be a certain uncomfortable subtle sexual aspect of the Bee Movie,” Seinfeld said. “[It] really was not intentional, but after it came out, I realized this is really not appropriate for children. Because the bee seemed to have a thing for the girl, and we don’t really want to pursue that as an idea in children’s entertainment.”

Now, to be clear, the Bee Movie isn’t entirely about Barry’s relationship with Vanessa. The film ends up being more of a legal drama with some climate change elements tossed in as Barry ends up suing the human race regarding honey only for things to get out of hand and requires Barry and Vanessa to try to save all the world’s remaining flowers that are now not being pollinated by the bees because the bees are no longer making honey. But things between Barry and Vanessa are just odd enough that in recent years the internet has picked up on how weird of a film it is, prompting memes, discourse, and something of a Bee Movie moment as people rediscover the Dreamworks film.

In addition to Seinfeld and Zellweger, Bee Movie features the voices of Matthew Broderick, James Goodman, Patric Warburton, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates, Barry Levinson, Megan Mullally, Rip Torn, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Richards, Larry King, and more. The film is available to stream on Netflix.

What do you think about Seinfeld’s comments? Were you a fan of Bee Movie? Let us know in the comments.