At the Tuesday night premiere of his new HBO series, the 78-year-old “Curb Your Enthusiasm” creator focused his harshest words on President Donald Trump regarding a White House UFC event from earlier this month.
David spoke to Variety on Tuesday night on the red carpet for “Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America,” which debuts on HBO and HBO Max on June 26, and didn’t hold back his views on Trump’s UFC cage fight hosted on the White House South Lawn for the nation’s 250th anniversary.
“It was a travesty,” David told the outlet. “What else can you say about it? It was embarrassing. I was embarrassed to be an American.”
David Unloads on the White House UFC Spectacle
The event took place earlier this month, when a full UFC octagon was erected on the South Lawn, complete with ads for corporate sponsors. The celebration occurred around the time of Trump’s 80th birthday. One fighter delivered a crude insult directed at former first lady Michelle Obama during the proceedings — a moment that intensified criticism already surrounding the event.
David is no stranger to speaking his mind about the president. The “Seinfeld” co-creator has previously called Trump a “sociopath” and a “sick man,” and he has long woven the president into his comedic work — mocking the MAGA movement’s signature red hats in one episode of “Curb” and taking aim at Trump’s mug shot in another.
A New Show With Some Famous Friends
“Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America” is a sketch comedy series satirizing pivotal moments throughout U.S. history. He co-created it alongside Jeff Schaffer, who previously directed episodes of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and the two wrote every episode together, with Schaffer also directing all of them.
The show features an extensive lineup of famous performers, with appearances by Seinfeld, Vaughn, Wilson, Miranda, Hader, Hahn, Hamm, Winkler, Hayes, Manganiello, Krakowski, Kinnear, and Alan Tudyk. The show is produced by former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground.
Obama’s Comedic Timing Wins David Over
Barack Obama himself appears in an episode, and David praised his performance enthusiastically. He described the former president’s comedic timing as “perfect” and said Obama proved surprisingly skilled at improvising, given that their shared scene was largely unscripted.
“He was really good at ad-libbing,” David told Variety. “Because the scene was ad-libbed and he was good at it.”
David also revealed how the project came together. The Obamas reached out to him about it, he explained — a connection he attributed partly to a prior relationship with Barack Obama that included a round of golf and a Super Bowl advertisement they collaborated on several years earlier. David speculated that perhaps the Obamas simply enjoy “Curb,” leaving the ultimate motivation somewhat mysterious.
For a comedian who has built a career on social discomfort and brutally honest takes, David seems to have found a project that lets him channel both his love of history and his well-documented frustrations with the current political moment. Whether viewers tune in for the celebrity cameos, the historical satire, or just to see what David does next, the new series arrives at a moment when he clearly has plenty on his mind.
The Show Debuts This Weekend
“Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America” premieres on HBO and HBO Max on June 26. Given the buzz from Tuesday night’s premiere — and the fact that David apparently had no shortage of opinions heading into it — the debut weekend seems likely to generate conversation well beyond the show itself.