Kesha says Jerry Seinfeld refusing to hug her was 'the saddest moment of my life'

Kesha called her infamous Jerry Seinfeld snub the "saddest moment of my life" in a new interview.

In conversation with Tom Scharpling on his The Best Show podcast, Kesha revisited the viral 2017 snub, wherein Seinfeld declined a hug from the pop star not once but twice at an event at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. "Do you want to know the whole story? It's really sad," Kesha said. "You're going to get lots of clicks after this because I don't think I've ever told the whole story."

"So I learned TM from David Lynch, the David Lynch Foundation," she said, referencing transcendental meditation. "Love meditating, so he was like, 'Could you do an event that's a charity event?' I was in the middle of tour. I was exhausted, but I really love David Lynch and I heard that Jerry Seinfeld was going to be there."

Seinfeld's eponymous sitcom helped her navigate tough flights, she said. "I used to take my computer, when there was the CD, and I'd carry it around the world internationally, the little DVDs. When it got bumpy on planes, I'd pop in Seinfeld and I'd be like, "Everything's okay in the world.'"

At the charity event, "I got really excited because he brings me peace and love and all things good in the universe," Kesha said. "And then he didn't hug me in front of cameras. And it was the most depressing, and hilarious, but also so sad, it was like the saddest moment of my life."

In the viral clip captured by 94.7 Fresh FM radio host Tommy McFly, Kesha enthusiastically declared herself a fan and asked Seinfeld if she could give him a hug, to which Seinfeld replied, "No, thanks."

"I don't know who that was," Seinfeld said to McFly, who informed the comedian of Kesha's identity. "Okay, well, I wish her the best," he replied.

In conversation with Extra a few days after the snub, Seinfeld said the ordeal was nothing personal, explaining that he prefers not to hug strangers. "I'm 63. I don't know every pop star, I don't know everyone," he said. "When you get to be my age and you've done a couple things, you have your own reality. In my reality, I don't hug a total stranger. I have to meet someone, say hello. I have to start somewhere."

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images; Emma McIntyre/Getty Images Kesha; Jerry Seinfeld

The following month, Kesha revealed she almost swore off hugs for good following the incident, but remembered what a "magical" thing it is. "I had a moment where I was thinking to myself, 'Maybe I should stop trying to hug everyone and attack them.' And then I was like, f— that, no," Kesha said. "I love hugging. Hugging is magical, hugging is beautiful. It's a beautiful exchange of wonderful soul energy. 'I accept you.' It's this beautiful connection."

Watch Kesha recount HugGate above.

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