‘Rawdogging’ Trend Takes Off on Social Media, Seinfeld Star Says It Started With Him [WATCH]

Patrick Warburton, best known for his role as David Puddy on the iconic sitcom Seinfeld, is claiming responsibility for a viral travel trend that has taken off on social media, as reported by Fox News.

In a video posted to Instagram on March 24, Warburton called himself the “original rawdogger,” referencing a memorable 1997 scene from the show.

The term “rawdogging” refers to passengers choosing to sit through an entire flight without any form of entertainment—no reading, no sleeping, no headphones, and no screens.

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The trend gained such traction online that the American Dialect Society named “rawdog” the 2024 Word of the Year.

Warburton, now 60, said he felt partially responsible after seeing the trend go viral.

In his video, he showed a clip from the Seinfeld episode “The Butter Shave,” where Puddy tells Elaine Benes, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, that he plans to do nothing but stare at the seat in front of him during the flight.

He stated how “it’s a thing” and how he feels “a bit responsible,” Warburton said in the video before cutting to the sitcom scene. Speaking with Fox News Digital, Warburton explained that fans had been bringing it up to him for about a year.

“For the last year, I’ve just been sort of hearing about this and having people approach me and go, ‘You know, you’re the original rawdogger from when Puddy and Elaine were on the plane. And I go, ‘All right, yeah, I guess so. All right. We’ll do something fun with this.’”

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Warburton said he was surprised by the response his video received. “I was rather shocked,” he said. “All these articles were coming out. It just ended up blowing up all over the place.”

Despite being credited with inspiring the trend, Warburton admitted he has never attempted to rawdog a flight himself.

“I’m ADHD, I can’t. Matter of fact, sometimes, yeah, I’ll get a little panicky. I’ll be like, ‘Oh my God, I have nothing to read. I didn’t bring a book. I forgot my headphones.’”

In his video, Warburton also jokingly warned others about trying it.

@charlie_sutherland I couldn’t even look at the flight map #ryanairedition #rawdog #fyp ♬ original sound – •MÛŠÎX•

@torrenfootThere’s levels to this♬ original sound – torrenfoot

@pilotjosh #rawdog #flights ♬ The Home Depot Beat – The Home Depot

Warburton began his stand-up comedy career last year and has since performed in Florida, Utah, Montana, Arizona, and Rhode Island. He is preparing for a Northeast tour with stops in New York, New Jersey, Buffalo, Boston, and Chicago.

He also revealed he plans to film his first comedy special within the next two months.

Warburton said he initially did stand-up briefly at age 21 before focusing on acting and voice work.

“I have a rather large family to support. I never went back to it. I’m a bit of a stand-up snob. I believe that in order to be a great stand-up, you have to eat, drink and breathe it. And I never wanted to be a mediocre stand-up. I feel like you have to devote so much of your time to it.”

Now fully engaged in his new career path, Warburton said he is enjoying the creative freedom. “I write all my own material, so I get on stage when I want, where I want, and I do it how I want. It’s great to have that creative control.”

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