The U.S. Senator You Likely Didn't Know Is Related To Curb Your Enthusiasm's Larry David
There's nary a subject that Larry David won't touch on "Curb Your Enthusiasm," including politics. Such equal-opportunity attacks are usually limited to fictional figures, such as Irma Kostroski (Tracey Ullman) and other members of the Santa Monica city council. Even when the show dabbles in real-life politics, it is always done in a manner that serves Larry's interests. Perhaps most famously, Larry dons a "Make America Great Again" hat in Season 10 to repel people from talking to him. What's a little far-right politics in the name of privacy?
Larry's politics may be self-serving, but the real-life David has politics in his blood. In 2017, the comedian was featured in the Season 4 premiere of PBS' "Finding Your Roots," where host Henry Louis Gates Jr. informed David that his distant cousin is Sen. Bernie Sanders. It may not have been David's first choice – he blurted out "I hope it's a good athlete" — but he was clearly tickled by the revelation, saying with a smile on his face, "That is amazing. All right, cousin Bernie." The Vermont senator was equally delighted upon learning the news. "You're kidding!" he said, adding, "Oh my God! That is unbelievable. It's true?"
It was a sweeter payoff than most relative reveals on "Finding Your Roots," as the pair had been compared to one another for years owing to their shared curmudgeonly demeanors, thick Brooklyn accents, and undeniable Jewish uncle energy. Moreover, David played Sanders several times on "Saturday Night Live" during the 2016 election.
Larry David played his cousin on Saturday Night Live
When it came time to cast Bernie Sanders on "Saturday Night Live" ahead of the 2016 election, Larry David's name came up multiple times, first by head writer Sarah Schneider, then at a dinner between Lorne Michaels and Tracy Morgan, who was set to host that week. After the dinner, Michaels received a phone call from David's agent suggesting the same thing.
David appeared as Sanders in six episodes during Seasons 41 and 42, usually during mock debate sketches. In February 2016, the pair shared the stage in an episode hosted by David, in which they played two passengers on a sinking ship. In the same episode, David acted in a laugh-out-loud parody called "Bern Your Enthusiasm." The sketch plays out like a "Curb" episode in miniature, with Bernie's neuroses and germaphobic tendencies causing primary voters to switch their votes to Hillary Clinton. David's Bernie rails against millionaires and billionaires, all while getting cursed out by Cecily Strong's pitch-perfect Susie.
Even after learning that Sanders was his cousin, David continued to play the senator once in a while, specifically ahead of the 2020 election. Still, he wasn't too upset that his relative didn't make it to the White House, as he was off the hook for four years of "SNL" appearances. "If he wins, do you know what that's going to do to my life?" David joked to The New York Times. "It'll be great for the country, terrible for me."