Larry David Brushes Off Barack Obama’s Notes on New Show: ‘I’m the President of This’

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Former President Barack Obama chastised Larry David during a meeting for David’s new show, Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, for which Obama is a producer and co-creator.

Jeff Schaffer, director and co-creator on the historical sketch comedy series, sat down with Variety to promote the show, which made its debut this week. It marks David’s return to television following a 12-season run on Curb Your Enthusiasm and it’s one of the biggest projects Obama has taken on as a producer.

Schaffer told Variety David and Obama have a “good rapport,” but he also shared a tense moment between the two when Obama offered some notes to David. The former president will actually be making an appearance in the HBO series.

Schaffer recalled:

The president’s input — and [Higher Ground’s] Ethan Lewis and Joe Paulsen’s — was invaluable. From our first meeting, he had read a whole bunch of stuff and was really liking it. He gave a few notes about something and Larry went, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, we got it.” And the president goes, “I spent a half an hour talking about how funny everything is. I give you one note and you get into a defensive crouch.” The president said, “When I was in the Oval Office, I took advice and listened to my advisors, and I was the president of the United States.” And Larry just goes, “Yeah, but I’m the president of this.”

David recently made some waves by slamming the UFC fight card outside the White House, an event meant to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday. David’s show, according to Schaffer, was also inspired by the country’s 250th and the desire to celebrate it.

“It was a travesty,” David said about the UFC event. “What else can you say about it? It was embarrassing. I was embarrassed to be an American.”

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