Larry David is teaming up with Barack Obama and Michelle Obama to produce the new HBO series Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness is the epitome of a completely unexpected piece of entertainment news. The fact that their new TV program features a star-studded cast including David, Bill Hader, Kathryn Hahn, Jon Hamm, Sean Hayes, Jerry Seinfeldand Chris Parnell just makes it all the more stunning.
Amazingly, it seems like the most fascinating part of the upcoming show is something that happened behind the scenes. When the former president tried to give the comedy star a note about a skit, Larry David’s response was truly epic.
Behind the scenes of the most surreal collaboration on TV
The first episode of will be released on Friday, June 26, 2026 Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness premieres on HBO and HBO Max. Each episode of the upcoming sketch comedy show, which was designed to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, was directed by Jeff Schaffer. While you’re talking to The Tribune Chronicle in June 2026 he described what it was like working with Obama and David on the show.
While speaking to the newspaper, the most surprising thing Schaffer said came when he described the moment Obama tried to pass David a note over a sketch. He described a hilarious interaction in which David said something incredibly funny to the former president that only he dared to say out loud:
“Larry and President Obama are a lot of fun together. They really like to trash talk each other. I remember our first note-taking session, when President Obama gave a note about a draft or something, and Larry says, ‘Yeah, no, we’ll take care of it. We’ve got it.’ And Obama just says, ‘Okay, I’ll see how this goes. I just spent half an hour telling you how great this was. I give one note and you end up in a defensive position.’ The president says, “You know, I like to think that when I was in the Oval Office, I was taking notes and advice from the people I worked with,” and Larry just says, “Yeah, but I’m the president of this.”
Before sharing that hilarious story, Schaffer also told the outlet about former President Obama’s comedic skills. “He was so funny. His timing was great. He was a really good actor, not just because he was a former president, but also because he was an actor. It was actually a dream to direct because he made all the jokes and hit everything in the best way. He’s also just one of the coolest guys on the planet. It was an incredible, incredible experience.”
The Tribune Chronicle article detailing the Schaffer interview also shared some details about the highly anticipated new HBO show. It noted that the series follows a similar format Limit your enthusiasm. The article also detailed that the show was originally going to consist of six episodes, but there was enough material for seven, and that they strove for accuracy in the production details, such as the clothing.
‘You can’t call the president an idiot’: Larry David’s breaking point
Like Jeff Schaffer, Larry David has spoken about working with Barack Obama Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness was like behind the scenes during interviews. The YouTube channel for will be released on June 19, 2026 Jimmy Kimmel Live! the host of that show uploaded Interviewing David about working on the show. During the discussion, the former Limit your enthusiasm star shared a funny story about calling Obama an idiot in character when they filmed a skit together. The best part of the story came when he described the former president’s response.
“He’s great on the show… He came up with a great line in the scene where he had to shake it. And I asked him if I could take a sip, and he said, ‘No.’ And I said, ‘Why not?’ And he said, ‘Old lips.’ I thought that was a great line. It’s in one sketch. And in the sketch he’s going to tell me that he doesn’t want that. When he orders soup or spaghetti, he doesn’t wear a tie. And I started reacting…I said, ‘What kind of idiot?'”
David continued, “And as soon as I got the word idiot in my head, I burst out laughing. Because I knew that even in a sketch, there’s no way I could call this guy an idiot. And so we had to cut the scene because I was laughing so hard. And he looked at me and said, ‘You can’t call the president an idiot.'” Without missing a beat, Kimmel had a response to the idea that you can’t insult the president’s intelligence. ‘Really and truly? Don’t know. I actually do that every night.’
Earlier in the conversation, David went into detail about how he ended up working with Barack and Michelle Obama on the HBO series. “Obama’s production company called me. Oh, they approached you with this? They approached me. They said, do you want to do something about the country’s 250th anniversary? And you know, I was a history major in college.” When asked if Barack Obama knew about his expertise in history, the comedian joked, “No, no. He didn’t know, but he knew I was very intelligent.”
When HBO released a teaser for Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, Barack Obama received comments on working with Larry David. While his comments were clearly in character and intended as a joke, what the former president said is still notable. “I’ve sat across the table from some of the world’s toughest leaders and grappled with some of the world’s most intractable problems. Nothing prepared me for working with Larry David.”
- Birth name
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Lawrence Gene David
- Date of birth
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July 2, 1947
- Place of birth
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Sheepshead Bay, New York, NY
- Members
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Children: Cazzie David, Romy David | Current husband: Ashley Underwood
- Height
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5’11”
- Brothers or sisters
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Know David
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