Neil Genzlinger

Genzlinger is a grandson of the late The Philadelphia Bulletin columnist Don Rose. He has two daughters: Abby and Emily. Emily is a law student and recipient of the Gideon's Promise fellowship for aspiring public defenders.

Genzlinger began working for The New York Times as a television critic in 2000. Prior to that, he was an editor for the publication. His reviews tend to shift more toward theater and television related to disabilities, such as plays called Syndrome, Autism: The Musical and Push Girls."

In one review, Genzlinger criticized TV writers for what he perceived as their overuse of the word "really," claiming that "it's undoing 2,000 years' worth of human progress." In response, comedian Jerry Seinfeld wrote in a letter to Genzlinger: "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." This protest from Seinfeld was due to the fact that, as he mentioned in the letter, he had previously performed "a 'Saturday Night Live Weekend Update' segment titled 'Really!?!' with Seth Meyers" which Seinfeld stated "was a blast and the audience loved it."

Julie Miller, for Vanity Fair, observed Seinfeld was motivated by having been "one of the most successful perpetrators of the term" criticized by Genzlinger, and concluded by wondering "what other polarizing topics might inspire Jerry Seinfeld to immediately write a personal letter to a journalist". Erik Hayden, for Time, observed that Genzlinger's original opinion piece "seems like an argument that could have been taken as a decent point made", but saw Seinfeld's point "If you're a writer, fine, don't use it. But in conversation it is fun to say." CNN's Maane Khatchatourian called the letter "amusingly outraged," noting the timely publication of Seinfeld's "keen observation" just prior to his "five-borough New York City comedy tour".