Larry David takes aim at RFK Jr. in HBO vaccine sketch
A new episode of David’s HBO comedy uses Jonas Salk’s polio breakthrough to lampoon Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with Cheryl Hines absent from the reunion orbit.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
Larry David has turned a 1950s polio-vaccine sketch into a very pointed jab at Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In Episode 4 of HBO’s “Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America,” David appears in drag as Dora Salk, mother of virologist Jonas Salk, the scientist credited with developing the first successful polio vaccine. The episode is now streaming on HBO Max, Variety reported.
The sketch finds Jonas trying to work upstairs while his mother loudly brags about his scientific achievements to a neighbor outside. Then a second neighbor arrives: a tanned, gravel-voiced man named Bobby, who starts railing against vaccines.
According to Variety’s description of the episode, Bobby warns that the vaccine will kill people and cause heart attacks. David’s Dora snaps back, “Drop dead, Bobby,” then says he knows nothing about science and is not a doctor.
The character then says that, if he were in power, children would not receive the polio vaccine or measles vaccines. Dora responds that it would be a “dark day for humanity” if someone ever put him in charge.
A pointed target
The sketch lands with extra sting because Kennedy’s wife, Cheryl Hines, starred opposite David for 12 seasons on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” playing his wife and later ex-wife Cheryl.
Variety reported that David and Kennedy were once close friends, and that David introduced Kennedy to Hines. Kennedy, then running for president as an independent, attended the red carpet premiere for the final season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” in 2024.
According to Variety, the relationship cooled after Kennedy endorsed Donald Trump and later joined Trump’s cabinet. David has been a vocal critic of Trump and has mocked him in both “Curb” and “Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness.”
Hines previously said in an interview that she had not spoken with David after the “Curb” finale, adding that she thought he was angry because “Bobby’s in the administration,” Variety reported.
Variety also reported that every main “Curb” cast member has either appeared in “Life, Larry” or attended its premiere except Hines. Asked whether Hines knew about the sketch targeting her husband, co-creator and director Jeff Schaffer told Variety, “No idea.” Asked why she was not invited for a cameo, he said, “You know, it just didn’t work out that way.”
History as a punchline
Schaffer told Variety the show set out to talk about current issues through historical moments. On the vaccination sketch, he said the team wanted to address present-day ignorance about vaccines by looking back at Salk’s breakthrough.
Variety described Kennedy as a leading anti-vaccine figure who has questioned the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. The outlet reported that, during his time in the administration, Kennedy reduced recommended childhood vaccines and changed the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel, after falsely linking vaccines to autism.
The “Bobby” character’s rant expands beyond vaccines, according to Variety. He claims fluoride causes gender confusion, calls the Spanish flu a bioweapon designed not to affect Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people, mentions cutting off a whale’s head with a chainsaw, and refers to the dead bear Kennedy once said he transported in his car.
The scene ends with Bobby being taken away by two men in white suits, Variety reported.
“Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness” airs Fridays on HBO. The Barack Obama-produced series places David inside major historical scenes, including the signing of the Declaration of Independence, World War I and Rosa Parks’ bus protest.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.