On Thursday night, Larry David, recognized as one of the funniest people alive, made an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
While ostensibly there to promote his upcoming sketch-comedy series “Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness,” set to premiere on HBO on June 26, David’s visit coincided with a monumental celebration in Manhattan. Approximately two million New York Knicks fans gathered for a ticker-tape parade to celebrate the team’s first NBA title in 53 years. David witnessed the Knicks’ incredible Game 4 victory against the Spurs from courtside, where the team overcame a 29-point deficit, securing victory with OG Anunoby’s tip-in with just 1.2 seconds remaining, marking the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history. (Luckily, David avoided any mishaps with the players, unlike a previous incident with Shaq.)
When Kimmel inquired about David’s enthusiasm during that unforgettable Knicks game, David offered a characteristically detailed explanation.
“At a game like that, it’s the only time I truly feel human because I’m participating in what everyone else is doing. Typically, I avoid what others do because I find it unbearable,” David admitted. He further added, “But let me tell you… so stressful. So stressful. That game took years off my life. The entire Playoffs did.”
“Do you trash-talk the players from the other team?” Kimmel questioned.
David then described how he attempted to distract Spurs star Victor Wembanyama: “I try to make eye contact. I was positioned right by the Spurs’ bench, so I look at the players, hoping they’ll recognize me from TV. I’ll think, ‘Hey, Wemby’s looking at me,’ and if Wemby says, ‘Hey, Larry David! I really like your show!’ that’s it — I’m rooting for the Spurs. One Spur acknowledges me, and I switch sides immediately.”
Fortunately, none of the Spurs players recognized him.
Later in the show, Kimmel welcomed Henry Louis Gates Jr. David had previously been a notable guest on Gates’ show “Finding Your Roots.” Discovering that his great-great-grandfather was a slave owner, David exclaimed, “Oh, you did it! You did it! I knew it! I knew it! Unbelievable! Boy. Boy oh boy.”
Kimmel asked Gates if anyone had ever been so spirited upon learning of their ancestor’s slave-owning past. Gates explained, “He thought he was safe because he was descended from a Jewish immigrant… In the 1850s, a wave of Jews from Bavaria moved to the South, and his great-great-grandfather, Henry Bernstein, migrated from Bavaria to Mobile, Alabama, joined the Confederacy, and owned two slaves.”
Gates also mentioned that Kimmel’s family had German roots. Kimmel clarified, “But, just for the record: My family never owned any slaves, whereas Larry’s family did.”
In response, David, with a smile, quipped, “Oh, I guess that makes you better than me, right?”
