Barack Obama offered feedback on Larry David’s new comedy series. David quickly brushed it aside with a blunt response of his own. The exchange happened while the former president was executive-producing the HBO Max series through Higher Ground.
According to co-creator Jeff Schaffer, the moment turned into a funny back-and-forth that reflected both men’s personalities rather than any serious disagreement.
Barack Obama got rejected by actor Larry David on new comedy show
The story came to light after Jeff Schaffer discussed the making of Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America with Variety. The comedy, now streaming on HBO Max, was developed with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground production company to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Schaffer said the collaboration began after Higher Ground approached Larry David with the unusual historical comedy concept, and the comedian immediately welcomed the idea. Schaffer recalled that Obama closely followed the scripts and “gave a few notes” after praising much of the material. David, however, responded with a quick, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, we got it,” brushing past the suggestion.
Obama jokingly called him out, saying, “I spent half an hour talking about how funny everything is. I give you one note, and you get into a defensive crouch.” He even reminded David that, when he was in the Oval Office, he paid heed to others’ advice. David answered with his own trademark humor, saying that “I’m the president of this.”
Schaffer shared that Obama remained an important creative voice throughout production. He described the former president’s feedback as “invaluable” and joked that he wished he had used Obama’s influence to secure a larger production budget.
The producer also revealed that David had several post-Curb Your Enthusiasm ideas in development, including a movie and a limited series, before settling on this project because it had a clear deadline and the chance to work with the Obamas.
Originally reported by Rishabh Shandilya on Mandatory.
