Actor Jason Alexander became famous as the self-centered character George Costanza of “Seinfeld.” But now he’s in the middle of a battle between animal-rights advocates and the makers of Kentucky Fried Chicken, The Washington Post reports.

Could it be that he lost his job as KFC pitchman because of a soft spot in his heart for, well, chickens?

The complete story of how and why Alexander’s lucrative KFC contract was terminated last month remains obscured, since the actor and the company only will discuss it in general terms. They insist the parting was amicable.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals insists otherwise. Alexander, representatives say, became concerned about how those billions of KFC chickens were raised and slaughtered, and either got the boot as a result or parted ways because KFC wouldn’t commit to changes.

“He said that he wanted to work for an ethical company and that the information we presented was troubling to him,” said Ingrid Newkirk, PETA’s president.

PETA has campaigned against KFC and the way it allows chickens to be raised in enormous factory farms, usually jammed into dark barns where they can barely move.