'Seinfeld' Star Jason Alexander Reveals Why the Hit Sitcom's Fame Sent Him to Therapy

Seinfeld star Jason Alexander opened up about needing therapy at the height of his television fame.

The actor shared how he navigated that time in his life during a new conversation with Daniel Lubetzky on the "Build or Break" podcast.

During their conversation, Lubetzky asked Alexander about the end of Seinfeld, "How do you handle accepting that that was a pinnacle?"

Without missing a beat, the actor replied, "Therapy."

The podcast host clarified, "You literally went to therapy?" to which Alexander said, "You bet. I was in therapy while it was happening."

He explained, "The transition from successful at your job to international celebrity — let me just tell ya, I don't care how well you've been raised or who you are, you're gonna need some therapy. It is mindf---."

Beyond seeking therapy, Alexander found it easier to adjust to life after such overwhelming fame because becoming a television star had never been his ultimate goal.

"My fantasy of a successful life for myself was an actor, growing up in New Jersey, was getting across the river and working on those Broadway stages. That was the pinnacle for me," he recalled. "I didn't think about television. I didn't think about film. I dreamt a life in the theater. God gave me that starting at age 21. By the time I was 30, I had won a Tony award."

It was only after that that film and TV came calling. "And now, they throw in my path Pretty Woman, some of the other films, Seinfeld," Alexander said. "And I now live a life as an actor that I never dreamt of. Never. I never thought I would have this kind of money that I could keep my family the way I keep them. That I would have all these opportunities, that I would work with the people I've met."

In the same way he never expected to become that famous, Alexander never expected that level of success to last — something which helped him mentally as well.

"If you hit that and then that goes away ... I would never go, 'Why couldn't I keep that?'" he told Lubetzky. "I go, 'I can't believe I ever got that! That's not what I was thinking.' So for me, life gave me more than I ever dreamed of. I didn't expect that to last. I objectively could sit back — and one of the reasons that we were so adamant at the end about making money on Seinfeld is because I grew up at a time when, if you had a hit series on television, you never worked again. That was it. You were defined as that character."

He added, "That was my anticipation."

Alexander starred as George Costanza on Seinfeld between 1989 and 1998, alongside superstars Jerry Seinfeld and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Since the show ended, the actor has enjoyed an ongoing acting career, consistently landing film and TV roles, but hasn't had any huge roles since. He's appeared as a supporting actor in Shallow Hal and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and currently has three upcoming projects in the works.