The 10 Best Celebrity Guest Stars On Curb Your Enthusiasm, Ranked

Curb Your Enthusiasm was renowned for getting celebrity guest stars to mercilessly poke fun at themselves. Alanis Morissette poked fun at the secrecy surrounding the hidden meanings of her lyrics. Hugh Hefner poked fun at his propensity for wearing smoking jackets. Bill Buckner poked fun at his notorious error in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. Rosie O’Donnell appeared on Curb to vie with Larry for the affections of a bisexual woman. Lori Loughlin appeared on Curb to satirize her college bribery scandal as she bribed her way to a better tee time at the country club. Some of Curb’s high-profile guest stars didn’t play themselves; they played characters. Catherine O’Hara played Marty Funkhouser’s unhinged sister, Bob Odenkirk played a former adult film star who invited Larry to an ill-fated dinner party, and Dustin Hoffman and Sacha Baron Cohen played Larry’s guides in Heaven when he briefly died. While these were some really fun characters, Curb’s guest stars were at their best when they were playing themselves, relentlessly mocking their own public persona. Throughout Curb Your Enthusiasm’s 12 seasons, the show featured a ton of famous guest stars — but which ones were the funniest of the bunch? 10 Shaquille O'Neal S2, E8, "Shaq" One of the simplest yet most ingenious comedic premises from Curb Your Enthusiasm’s run appears in the season 2 episode “Shaq.” While sitting courtside at a Lakers game, Larry stretches his legs and unwittingly trips over Shaquille O’Neal. Since he’s L.A.’s most prized player and the accident puts him out of commission for the season, Larry becomes public enemy number one in the city. When Larry visits Shaq in the hospital to apologize, they prove to be an unlikely comic duo, slyly cheating at Scattergories and binge-watching episodes of Seinfeld together. 9 Mel Brooks Season 4 In the fourth season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Mel Brooks cast Larry to play Max Bialystock in The Producers on Broadway. Brooks is one of the quickest, sharpest comic minds in Hollywood, and he proved that every time he improvised some banter with Larry in Curb. There’s a wonderfully meta aspect to Brooks’ role in Curb. The supersized season finale — one of Curb Your Enthusiasm’s best episodes — reveals that Brooks cast Larry to intentionally tank the show and create a flop, just like Max does in The Producers itself. When the show is a hit, Brooks goes full Bialystock. 8 Jon Hamm S10, E8, "Elizabeth, Margaret, And Larry" In season 10’s “Elizabeth, Margaret, and Larry,” Jon Hamm starts shadowing Larry to prepare for a character that was loosely inspired by him. As he studies Larry, Jon starts dressing like him, talking like him, and acting like him. Eventually, Jon is the Statler to Larry’s Waldorf, backing him up in every petty disagreement. Richard Lewis sums it up hilariously when Larry and Jon gang up on him for going over his appetizer allotment: “Oh my God, there’s two Larry Davids,” he says with an overwhelming sense of dread. 7 Ricky Gervais S8, E6, "The Hero" When Larry arrives in New York in season 8’s “The Hero,” he doesn’t waste any time making a new enemy: Ricky Gervais. Gervais has a very similar sensibility to David’s — their comedy is dark, satirically twisted, and leans into the cringe — so they quickly proved to be a match made in heaven when they shared the screen in Curb. Gervais plays himself as an insufferable diva who gives out his own DVDs as gifts, brags about his expensive scarves, and considers the opportunity to pay hundreds of dollars to see him act on stage to be a divine privilege. 6 David Schwimmer Season 4 In the back end of Curb Your Enthusiasm season 4, David Schwimmer stars alongside Larry in a Broadway production of The Producers. Whether or not the musical works hinges on the audience believing that Leo and Max are the best of friends, but Larry’s off-stage relationship with Schwimmer couldn’t be more contentious. Schwimmer is one of Curb’s most fearless guest stars in portraying himself in a negative light for laughs; he plays himself as a pretentious, self-serious bore. It makes him the perfect comedic partner for Larry, who doesn’t take anything seriously — certainly not himself. 5 Lin-Manuel Miranda Season 9 In season 9, Larry’s musical about Salman Rushdie’s fatwa ends up earning him his own fatwa. He eventually makes a deal with the Ayatollah that he can move forward with the project if he gets Lin-Manuel Miranda to co-write it with him. Miranda really understood the assignment when he was brought in to commandeer Larry’s show in a season-long Curb storyline. He plays himself as arrogant, controlling, and prone to breaking into Hamilton-style rap in the middle of conversations. It’s a joy to see such a brilliant, respected figure tear himself down in the name of comedy. 4 Martin Scorsese S3, E6, "The Special Section" Martin Scorsese directed Larry in the role of a hard-as-nails mob boss in season 3’s “The Special Section.” Not only is it hilarious to see Larry in a toupee acting tough; it’s also hilarious to see that he doesn’t pay any of the requisite respect to one of the world’s greatest filmmakers. Larry questions Scorsese’s shooting style, comparing it unfavorably to the way he used to shoot Seinfeld, and asks the man who made Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas if he even knows what he’s doing — and Scorsese plays along with a great sense of humor. 3 Ben Stiller Season 4 When Larry is first cast in The Producers in the early episodes of season 4, his co-star is Ben Stiller. But he ends up having so many arguments and unfortunate incidents with Larry that he drops out, allowing David Schwimmer to step in and take his place. Stiller gets the tone of Curb Your Enthusiasm so spot-on that he could’ve been a permanent cast member. He nails the dryness, the awkwardness, and the understated approach to playing every situation straight and letting the inherent absurdity speak for itself. 2 Michael J. Fox S8, E10, "Larry Vs. Michael J. Fox" As its title would suggest, the season 8 finale, “Larry vs. Michael J. Fox,” pits Larry against Back to the Future star Michael J. Fox. Everyone else sees Fox for the national treasure he is, but he rubs Larry the wrong way. When Fox bumps into Larry and shakes up his soda, Larry struggles to determine whether it’s “pissed or Parkinson’s.” Humor is one of the best ways to openly discuss a difficult subject and take the power away from one’s pain, so it’s heartwarming to see Fox poke fun at his affliction. 1 The Seinfeld Cast Season 7 In Curb Your Enthusiasm season 7, Larry David figured out a way to do a Seinfeld reunion without doing a Seinfeld reunion; a way to bring that iconic cast back together without tarnishing the legacy of a classic. Rather than doing a reunion show in the real world, David did a Seinfeld reunion within the skewed universe of Curb. He reassembled Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards to play themselves in the troubled production of a reunion special. We got to see Larry writing with Jerry, and Larry and Jason bickering over how to play George Costanza. Everyone from the Seinfeld cast is in fine form in their Curb Your Enthusiasm appearances. Julia has a great storyline involving a coffee table ring, Jason has a great storyline where he inserts Larry’s pen into every orifice of his body, and Michael boldly parodied his own public controversy in a scene with Leon. Jerry, meanwhile, is the perfect comic foil for Larry — the comedy yin to his comedy yang. Curb Your Enthusiasm 8/10 Release Date 2000 - 2024-00-00 Network HBO Max Showrunner Jeff Schaffer Directors Robert B. Weide, Larry Charles, David Steinberg, Bryan Gordon, Alec Berg, Andy Ackerman, David Mandel, Barry Gordon, Cheryl Hines, Dean Parisot

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