Larry David’s new comedy with Barack Obama sounds exactly as awkward as you’d expect

Larry David has a new show scheduled to premiere on HBO on June 26. You can expect it to have all the Curb Your Enthusiasm delights — JB Smoove, Susie Essman, and Jeff Garlin. But it also has newer people being added to the typical David rolodex, none other than Barack Obama. And apparently the two have a dynamic that’s pretty turbulent.

Apparently the two never let any of their interactions go by without a little “ragging.” Obama apparently usually gets the upper hand — a jab here about David’s golf game, a jab there about how much sunscreen David puts on just to walk around. But after years of being the undercard with Obama, the former president finally joined David’s set as an actor — and when Obama tried to give David a note, the two-time Emmy winner reminded him, “I’m president here.”

But Obama wasn’t just being arrogant. The show will apparently be very tied to history — and inevitably, the politics that surround history. David’s new show, Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America, will be a sketch comedy series that looks at key moments in America’s 250 years as the country celebrates its quarter-millennium anniversary.

The trailer for the show has already gone up on YouTube. In the short clip, the sketch starts right after the famous photo of the V-J Day celebration kiss was taken. David’s character goes after the woman in the picture and tries to be the next one to get a kiss, only for an awkward argument to spark up. We still have no idea what type of sketch Obama will appear in, or even whether he will play himself as president, as most people already assume.

David has increasingly been political in his public life, unlike in the past when he focused his comedy on showing the most cringe elements of everyday life — especially when you’re as eccentric as George Costanza or a fictionalized version of Larry David. But recently, something about the current president has clearly rubbed him the wrong way, and he has extended that cold shoulder even to MAGA-aligned associates he used to be close to. From Cheryl Hines to self-described comedian Bill Maher, whose “liberal with common sense” identity has pretty much taken up his entire persona.

The 250th anniversary is going to be one of the biggest celebrations in American history, and David apparently wants to use his show to remind fans of other iconic moments of celebration. With everything that’s currently going on, perhaps some people might find solace in looking back to times when everyone was unified around one nationwide moment.

The show is also co-produced by Barack Obama through his company Higher Ground. It’s quite clear that the former president still has a vested interest in talking to Americans and appealing to the parts of them he sees as most useful to society. Flirting with a third term in office is where he draws the line.

Other guests on the show have already confirmed the roles they’ll play. Jon Hamm and Sean Hayes will appear as the Wright brothers. Bill Hader will play Abraham Lincoln, and there will be many more celebrity guests. If you love David’s absurdist humor, this will likely be right up your alley.