'Seinfeld' star has lost 110 pounds since height of show, but says there's a downside

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(NEXSTAR) – It’s a safe bet that Wayne Knight isn’t choking down Chunky bars and full-fat frozen yogurt like his iconic “Seinfeld” character.

Knight, 69, was recently spotted at Los Angeles International Airport by a camera operator working with TMZ, who noted how “skinny” the actor appeared.

“I almost didn’t recognize you,” the videographer told Knight.

“Well, that’s not good,” Knight joked.

Wayne Knight
Wayne Knight is pictured during a “Seinfeld” fan event at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, on August 18, 2024. (Barry Brecheisen/WireImage)

Knight, who played Newman on “Seinfeld” between 1992 and 1998, explained that he lost the weight “over a period of many years.”

“From therapy to drugs to surgery to radiation to being taken by aliens,” Knight said of the methods he tried. “Every single one of them. And one of them worked.”

When asked which one of the methods was effective, Knight joked that he didn’t know. He did, however, suggest he doesn’t visit the gym on any regular basis, claiming he stopped going after a photographer caught him coming out of a fitness center with “resting b—- face.”

In total, Knight estimated he lost “about 110 pounds” since his appearance in “Jurassic Park” in 1993 — one of several years when “Seinfeld” was also NBC’s top-rated show.

wayne knight jerry seinfeld
Wayne Knight is pictured with Jerry Seinfeld in a still from “The Blood,” a 1997 episode from the ninth season of “Seinfeld. (Joseph Del Valle/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

He also shared a downside to his weight loss, claiming it has affected his career “in a bad way” by limiting the roles for which he’s considered.

“It takes time for people to accept you as you are and … find out whether or not you can still do things without being fat,” he said.

In addition to playing Newman and Dennis Nedry in “Jurassic Park,” Knight has also made appearances in such films as “Basic Instinct,” “Toy Story 2,” “Space Jam” and “JFK,” the latter of which was spoofed in an episode of “Seinfeld.”

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