Larry David has revealed the joke Barack Obama came up with for his new comedy series.
David, 78, appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday to promote the release of the HBO show Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, a limited comedy series executive-produced by the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions.
The comedian explained that he was approached by Obama’s production company to take part in a project marking the 250th anniversary of the United States, and went on to discuss Obama’s cameo in the series, during which the former president also cracked a joke at his expense.
“He came up with one great line,” David said of Obama, 64, going on to describe a scene in which the former president was holding a shake. When the comedian asked if he could have a sip, Obama declined.
“He said, ‘No,’ and I said, ‘Why not?’ and he said, ‘Old lips,’” David said, to which Kimmel added with a laugh, “Don’t want old lips on the straw.”
Obama has continued teasing David, with whom he often plays golf, joking during their rounds about how much sunscreen the comedian has to use.
In a promotional video for Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, the former president says he has “sat across the table from some of the world’s most difficult leaders and wrestled with some of the globe’s most intractable problems,” then adds, “nothing has prepared me for working with Larry David.”
The series will mark David’s first return to HBO since Curb Your Enthusiasm concluded its 13th season in 2024. The show’s logline playfully notes that the “President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America’s 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion… but then Larry David called.”
The show, which will rely heavily on improvisation to take a comedic approach to American history, will also feature a sketch with Obama, which David said left him unable to stop laughing because of one word he wanted to say to the former president.
“In the sketch, he’s going to tell me… if he orders soup or spaghetti, he won’t wear a tie,” David told Kimmel, adding that he was about to call Obama an “idiot” before reconsidering.
“As soon as I got the word ‘idiot’ in my head, I started laughing because I knew even in a sketch there’s no way I’m calling this guy an ‘idiot,’” David said, adding that they had to cut the scene because he couldn’t stop laughing.
“He looked at me, and he said, ‘You can’t call the president an idiot,’” David said, to which Kimmel replied, “I don’t know, I kind of do that every night.”
Aside from Obama’s guest appearance, the seven-episode show, which will be released on June 26, will feature Bill Hader as Abraham Lincoln and Kathryn Hahn as Mary Todd Lincoln, as well as performances from Jon Hamm, Sean Hayes, Vince Vaughn, and Jerry Seinfeld.
