Nurse Called Julia Louis-Dreyfus 'Elaine' While She Was Giving Birth

In a recent interview, Louis-Dreyfus shared a mortifying story of being recognized as her 'Seinfeld' character after her water broke.

April 17, 2024

The sight of Julia Louis-Dreyfus made one nurse fangirl so hard that they mistakenly called the actress ‘Elaine’ while she was giving birth.

On the latest episode of her Wiser Than Me podcast, the "You People" star recalled the mortifying moment where she was referred to as her Seinfeld character when she was in labor.

While talking with chef and author Ina Garten, Louis-Dreyfus spoke about the "downside" of being a recognizable face on television, especially at the height of the ‘90s, around the time that she had her first son, Henry, 30.

The two discussed how audiences become very familiar with television characters, though they don't know the real stars behind those characters.

“I think particularly with television, with computer, I should say, I mean everybody’s watching it on all these other devices. But you’re in their home," Louis-Dreyfus admitted around the 50-minute mark of her episode "Julia Gets Wise with Ina Garten."

"I mean, you have that experience with your show, no doubt. You’re in their home so they feel relaxed with your presence," Garten affirmed. "And they feel like you’re a friend."

“Correct. Which can be lovely, there is a downside to it, though," Louis-Dreyfus joked, before providing a particularly painful example.

"I was giving birth, and when you’re in labor, they put that monitor around your tummy. And I was in the bathroom and I was naked, and I had the thing around my tummy and I was massive, by the way. And I gained like 50 pounds when I was pregnant,” she shared. "And I was standing there, and my water broke, and all of a sudden a nurse came into the room, and I went, ‘My water broke!’ Okay, reminding you — [I was] naked. And she goes, ‘Elaine!’ It was so awful. Isn’t that crazy?"

That must be what happens when you’re a star on one of the most popular sitcoms of all time. Other Seinfeld stars have also taken fans by surprise at the sight of them, like singer Kesha, who once asked Jerry Seinfeld for a hug before being rejected.