Larry David is teaming up with Barack Obama and Michelle Obama to produce the new HBO series Life, Larry and the pursuit of misfortune is the epitome of a completely unexpected entertainment novelty. The fact that their new TV show has an all-star cast including David, Bill Hader, Kathryn Hahn, Jon Hamm, Sean Hayes, Jerry Seinfeldand Chris Parnell only makes it even more overwhelming.
Amazingly, it seems 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
Friday, June 26, 2026, first episode of Life, Larry and the pursuit of misfortune will premiere 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 talking to The Tribune Chronicle in June 2026, he described what it was like working on the show with Obama and David.
While speaking to the outlet, the most amazing thing Schaffer said came when he described the moment Obama tried to give David a note about a sketch. He described a hilarious interaction in which David said something incredibly funny to the former president that only he would be mad to say out loud:
“Larry and President Obama are really funny together. They really like to give each other crap. I remember our first note session, President Obama gave a note about a sketch or something, and Larry goes, ‘Yeah, no, we’ll take care of it.’ We got it.” And Obama just goes, ‘OK, I see how this is going to turn out. I just spent half an hour telling you how great it was. I give a note and you get into a defensive crouch.’ The president says, ‘You know, I like to think when I was in the Oval Office, I took notes and advice from the people I worked with,’ and Larry just says, ‘Yeah, but I’m the president of this.'”
Before sharing the funny story, Schaffer also talked about former President Obama’s comedy skills. “He was so funny. His timing was amazing. He was a really good actor, not just for being a former president, but for being an actor. He was actually a dream to direct because he got all the jokes and he 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’s the article detailing its Schaffer interview also shared some details about the highly anticipated new HBO show. It noted that the series follows a similar format to Fight your enthusiasm. The article also detailed that the show was originally planned to be six episodes, but there was enough material for seven, and that they strove for accuracy in production details, like the clothing.
‘You can’t call the president an idiot’: Larry David’s breaking point
Like Jeff Schaffer, Larry David has talked about what working with Barack Obama is all about Life, Larry and the pursuit of misfortune was like behind the scenes during interviews. On June 19, 2026, the YouTube channel for Jimmy Kimmel Live! uploaded the host interviews David about working on the show. During the discussion, Mr Fight 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 reaction.
“He’s great in the show… He came up with a great line in the scene where he had to shake him. 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. He is in a sketch. And in the sketch he will tell me that he will not, if he orders soup or spaghetti, he will not wear a tie. And I started to answer… 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, even in a sketch, there’s no way I’m calling this guy an idiot. And so we had to cut the scene because I was laughing so hard. And he looks at me and says, ‘You can’t call the president an idiot, but Kimmelten didn’t have an answer for that.'” offending the President’s intelligence. “Really? I don’t know. I kind of do that every night.”
Earlier in the conversation, David went into detail about how he ended up collaborating with Barack and Michelle Obama on the HBO series. “Obama’s production company called me. Oh, they approached you about this? They approached me. They said, do you want to do something for 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 comedy star joked: “No, no. He didn’t know, but he knew I was really intelligent.”
When HBO released a teaser for Life, Larry and the pursuit of misfortune, Barack Obama was shown commenting on the work of Larry David. While his remarks were clearly in character and meant as a joke, what the former president said is still remarkable. “I have sat in front of some of the world’s toughest leaders and grappled with some of the planet’s most difficult problems. Nothing has prepared me for working with Larry David.”
- Birth name
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Lawrence Gene David
- Date of birth
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2 July 1947
- Birthplace
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Sheepshead Bay, New York, NY
- Members
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Children: Cazzie David, Romy David | Current Spouse: Ashley Underwood
- Height
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5’11”
- Siblings
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Ken David
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