Quick Facts
Biography
Neil Genzlinger is an American playwright, editor, book reviewer, and theatre and television critic. He frequently writes for The New York Times.
Family
Genzlinger is a grandson of the late The Philadelphia Bulletin columnist Don Rose. He has a daughter named Abby who has Rett syndrome. Abby has appeared in Julia Roberts' documentary "Silent Angels."
Career
Genzlinger began working for The Times as a television critic in 2011. Prior to becoming a television critic, he worked for The Times as an editor. His reviews tend to shift more towards theater and television related to disabilities such as a 2002 play called "Syndrome," "Autism: The Musical," and "Push Girls."
Controversy
In one review, Genzlinger criticized TV writers for what he perceived as their overuse of the word "really". He claimed that when it's "delivered with a high-pitched sneer to indicate a contempt so complete that it requires no clarification" and "it’s undoing 2,000 years’ worth of human progress." In response, comedian Jerry Seinfeld wrote an angry letter to Genzlinger. Seinfeld remarked, "Really, Neil? Really? You’re upset about too many people saying, 'Really?'? I mean, really...OK, fine, when it’s used in scripted media, it is a little lazy. But comedy writers are lazy. You’re not fixing that. So, here’s the bottom line. If you’re a writer, fine, don’t use it. But in conversation it is fun to say." Seinfeld also later mocked Genzlinger's use of the phrase "wrap my head around it."