Larry David Reveals Obama Joke for 7-Episode HBO Series Ahead of June 26 Debut

Q: Is this HBO comedy the first major test for Obama's newly independent production company?

No. Larry David’s HBO series does not appear to be the first major test of Higher Ground as an independent company. The show is significant because it is one of the highest-profile projects tied to Higher Ground’s move beyond Netflix. Barack and Michelle Obama’s company, founded in 2018, is transitioning to full independence as its Netflix deal expires later in 2026, and *Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness* is part of that broader expansion. But available reporting indicates Higher Ground had already begun operating in a more flexible, multi-buyer model before this HBO series. After shifting its arrangement with Netflix in 2024, the company was able to develop and sell projects to other studios and platforms. Reports say it has since set up projects with HBO, Apple, Amazon, FX, Disney, 20th Century Studios, Artists Equity, Laika, AMC, CBS Studios and YouTube. That means the Larry David comedy is better understood as a prominent example of Higher Ground’s post-Netflix strategy, not the first proving ground for it. It may be one of the most visible early releases of the company’s newly broadened approach, especially given David’s return to HBO and Obama’s cameo, but not its first major test in any strict sense. Higher Ground also enters this phase with an established record, including an Oscar win for *American Factory* and multiple Emmy wins, so it is not starting from scratch as an independent producer.

3 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · Jun 19

Jimmy Kimmel Live gave Larry David a platform to share Barack Obama’s favorite line from their new HBO comedy: when David asked for a sip of his shake, Obama replied, “No” because of “old lips.”
The exchange comes from Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, a seven-episode limited series executive-produced by the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Obama also appears in a sketch that David said had to be cut because he could not stop laughing at the idea of calling the former president an “idiot.”
The June 26 series is David’s first return to HBO since Curb Your Enthusiasm ended in 2024 and will feature Bill Hader, Kathryn Hahn, Jon Hamm, Sean Hayes, Vince Vaughn and Jerry Seinfeld.