Larry David and Cheryl Hines played a bickering couple (and ex-couple) on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" for 12 seasons.
They were a perfect team - David's misanthropy clashed with Hines' sweetness and social graces. Oil and water. What could be better?
Even when Larry's on-screen character divorced Hines' well-meaning soul she stuck around, season after season after season. Clearly, David and co. recognized her value as a comic asset and performer.
Few would argue otherwise.
That was then, a time before Hines' husband, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. ran for the presidency. And, later, he ended his campaign and threw his support behind Team Trump. RFK Jr. later became the Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Trump presidency.
Hines, who shared Left-leaning views in the past, stood by her man. She didn't go full MAGA. Instead, she spoke well of her husband and his ambitions, including making the nation's food supply healthier.
All of the above proved too much for David.
The 70-something star stopped talking to Hines, according to her recent interviews. She played down any possible feud, taking the high road on a suddenly strained relationship.
I actually think I would be fine talking to Larry ... Somebody asked me, ‘What would happen if you walked into a restaurant and he was there?’ I would be happy to see him and I’d say hi and we’d talk for a second.
Hines gave plenty of interviews while promoting her 2025 memoir, "Unscripted." That didn't distract from the fact that they hadn't spoken since shooting the "Curb" finale.
Now, we're learning the extent of their seemingly one-sided feud.
The Daily Beast reports that Hines was persona non grata on David's most recent project. "Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness" The HBO Max series lets David traipse through American history, bringing his misanthropic character into critical moments in our country.
The show reunites David with actors from both "Curb" and separate projects. Think Jeff Garlin, Jerry Seinfeld, Susie Essman, J.B. Smoove and more.
Who's missing? Hines. That's no accident.
"Curb" co-creator Jeff Schaffer, who directed "Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness," slighted Hines in a chat with the "Obsessed: The Podcast" show.
I’d like to think she still has that brilliant sense of humor she used to have, but I don’t know.
Why? What changed? How does her husband's political career impact her funny bone? Schaffer added that neither he nor David reached out to Hines for a "Life" cameo.
Next, he praises her work and sunny personality. That didn't convince him to hire her for the show, apparently.
And we all know why.
"People make choices," he said bluntly.
Yes, Hines decided to be married to a politician. That's a choice, one that has her frozen out of Hollywood. She hasn't had a gig since that "Curb" finale two years ago. She's also of a certain age, and Hollywood, on paper, would normally support a woman who might start to lose gigs because she's not as young as she used to be.
Not in this case.
She's being punished for her husband's views. It couldn't be more clear. It's something The Hollywood Reporter predicted some time ago.
Hollywood preaches tolerance all day long. The industry just can't live up to its own messaging.
