WEIRD

Larry David Stars in Baffling Crypto Super Bowl Commercial for FTX

“Eh…”

For some reason, Larry David, the comedy legend behind Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm—and a man worth north of $400 million—decided to star in a pricey crypto commercial that aired on Super Bowl Sunday.

The ad was for FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange, and sees David popping up in various historical episodes across the years, dismissing a variety of inventions, from the wheel to the Walkman.

GOT YOURSELF A GUN

‘The Sopranos’ Makes Surprise Return on Super Bowl Sunday

Marlow Stern

After poo-pooing many of history’s greatest inventions, someone pitches him on investing in cryptocurrency only to have David, once again, casually dismiss it.

“Nah, I don’t think so,” he replies. “And I’m never wrong about this stuff. Ever.” Then, the tagline: “Don’t be like Larry.”

The commercial was directed by Jeff Schaffer, a longtime collaborator of David’s on Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm—and creator of FX’s The League.

“[FTX] had the grapes to make an ad where Larry David says he won’t use the product,” Schaffer told Variety of the commercial, adding, “Who better to belittle the sum of human achievement—and be wrong?

Regardless, the ad appeared to elicit a mixture of applause and groans online, where many have become wary of blockbuster crypto ads featuring celebs—including a similar one with Matt Damon (tagline: “fortune favors the brave”) comparing investing in crypto to various historical feats that David’s appeared to satirize.

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Marlow Stern

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.