Jerry Seinfeld explains what he was thinking when Kesha tried to hug him

Don't worry—Jerry Seinfeld has a perfectly normal reason for not hugging Kesha.

In an awkward video clip that went viral, Seinfeld flat out denies the pop singer's request for a hug in the middle of an interview. Turns out, he's just following the unspoken stranger-danger rule of life.

“I’m 63, I don’t know every pop star… I don’t know everyone," Seinfeld told Extra when reporter AJ Calloway asked about the awkward encounter, explaining that he isn't a non-hugger, but when it comes to total strangers, there's some understandable hesitation.

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“I was right in the middle of an interview it was a little off,” 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,'" Seinfeld explained. "I gotta start somewhere…hug isn't first moment of a human, two humans. I never did that.”

You can watch Seinfeld explain the awkward moment below.

So now you know: if you see him in the wild, don't forget to say hi, ask about the kids, and put in a few years of friendship before going for the embrace.