Larry David beats up Elmo during NBC's 'Today' show: 'Somebody had to do it'
Comedian Larry David crashed NBC's "Today" show segment with Elmo on Thursday and seemed to beat up the Sesame street character on set before being asked to apologize.
Larry David admitted on Thursday that he is "a little bit" stressed about his upcoming finale for "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
When David, 76, was asked by Savannah Guthrie on the "Today" show if he was nervous about giving the HBO comedy a "proper sendoff," he answered, "A little bit if I may be honest, which I don’t like being."
He added, tongue-in-cheek, "There was some to-do about the ‘Seinfeld’ finale. So, we’ll see what happens."
The final episode of "Seinfeld," which aired on May 14, 1998, saw characters Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer end up in a Massachusetts jail following their arrest for the new "Good Samaritan Law" after, as bystanders, they failed to help a man who was being mugged.
LARRY DAVID CRASHES NBC'S ‘TODAY’ SET TO BEAT UP ELMO: ‘SOMEBODY HAD TO DO IT’
Larry David, left, admitted he is stressed about the "Curb Your Enthusiasm" finale. (Kevin Winter/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal)
The episode’s last shot shows George and Jerry having an inane conversation about buttoning one’s shirt in which George remarks "Haven’t we had this conversation before?" in a reference to the very first scene in "Seinfeld"’s first show in 1989.
The characters were sentenced to a year in jail, and once they were out, they seemingly would go back to being their same awful selves.
Many fans felt the finale was a letdown from its stellar and groundbreaking nine seasons. Despite many favorite characters like the Soup Nazi and attorney Jackie Chiles returning, no real revelations were made, and no one learned anything.
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However, other fans have pointed out that one thing that made "Seinfeld" stand out from other sitcoms at the time was that the characters never learned anything and the plots were not heartfelt.
David co-created "Seinfeld" with Jerry Seinfeld and created "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
"Curb Your Enthusiasm" has stayed true to the "Seinfeld" "No hugging, no learning" mantra, with David’s fictional persona just as socially objectionable as he was when the HBO series first premiered in 2000.
Larry David, left, on a 2010 episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm." (Bobby Bank/WireImage)
This week, David announced that "Curb"’s 12th season, which premieres on Sunday, would be its last.
"As Curb comes to an end, I will now have the opportunity to finally shed this ‘Larry David’ persona and become the person God intended me to be – the thoughtful, kind, caring, considerate human being I was until I got derailed by portraying this malignant character," David said in a recent statement about the end of the show.
He added, "And so ‘Larry David,’ I bid you farewell. Your misanthropy will not be missed. And for those of you who would like to get in touch with me, you can reach me at Doctors Without Borders."
However, on Thursday, David refused to give any hints about the show's finale. "I can’t," he told Guthrie and Hoda Kotb. "I don’t want to."
He said he is not "bummed" about the show ending after 24 years, adding, "I'm almost ready for a nursing home. I think it's a little old for a grown man to be acting like that."
While being asked about his personal social graces, however, David did reveal that he likes to "chat and cut," which he described as "There’s a line, and maybe you know somebody a little bit – you’ve met them once, and then you go and pretend like you know them very well, and then you don’t leave that position in the line because they’re ahead in the line."
He added, "No one can do it in front of me though."
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Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, who co-created "Seinfeld," on the set of the 1998 finale. (Joseph Del Valle/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
For a "stop and chat" on the street, he said a "normal" person should talk with an acquaintance for around "90 seconds," but he limits himself to "15, 20 seconds."
"Hey, Savannah, how you doing?" he said in an example of a "stop and chat" with her. "Good to see you," she answered, adding, "How are you?" "Not bad," he replied. "You know what? Can we do this another time?"
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The curmudgeon later revealed he’s not interested in things that are trending. On the Stanley cup craze, he said he’s "never heard of it" and on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s viral romance, he told Guthrie and Kotb, "I don’t give a s---."
The improviser also created a bit of a stir before his segment when he ran onto the set where Elmo was being interviewed and grabbed the Muppet’s face and shook him before running off.
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"Mr. Larry, Elmo liked you before! Get back on the couch and let’s talk about how you’re feeling," Elmo yelled, with David shouting back, "Somebody had to do it!"
He later apologized at the beginning of his own segment, telling Elmo, "Elmo, I just want to apologize" while hysterically laughing. "I'm really sorry," he repeated to Kotb and Guthrie.
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