New Book Details Larry David's Jewish Upbringing and Creative Process

Readers of the new biography Emperor of Nothing: The Making of Larry David gain access to private emails and behind-the-scenes accounts of the comedian's career. The book, published last month by journalist and documentarian Blake J. Harris, details the life of the co-creator of Seinfeld and the star of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Harris spent six years on the project, conducting extensive video calls with David and visiting him in person during the final season of Curb.

The narrative traces David's origins in Brooklyn, where he was born at Brooklyn Jewish Hospital in 1947. Harris explores how David's upbringing and early education in Hebrew school influenced his artistic voice. The book notes that David's father, Morty, worked for a clothing business linked to the organized crime group Murder, Inc. David has maintained a lifelong friendship with Richard Lewis, who was born in the same hospital during the same week. Lewis worked with David on Curb until his death in 2024.

Harris met David in 2020 through writer and director Jeff Schaffer. The initial contact required careful maneuvering due to David's value for privacy. Alan Zweibel, an early Saturday Night Live writer, helped arrange the first conversations. Harris employed a strategy he described as a George Costanza-style scheme, suggesting to Zweibel that they focus their first discussion on the New York Yankees rather than David's television career. As the global pandemic emerged, the two men maintained contact through phone and Zoom calls before Harris traveled to Los Angeles.

The book examines how network executives were wary of Seinfeld being too New York, a term often used as a euphemism for too Jewish. Rick Ludwin, an NBC executive who championed the series, stated he was not from New York and not Jewish, but believed the show was funny and viable. Seinfeld dominated ratings in the 1990s, with its 1998 finale watched by 76 million Americans. Harris notes that while the character George Costanza is often seen as a stand-in for David, the comedian rarely appeared on camera until the launch of Curb in 2000.

Harris identifies as a proud Jew and observed that David was heavily influenced by comedic voices such as Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, and Nat Hiken. Despite these influences, David generally avoided discussing the broader American Jewish comedy tradition. Harris described David as too intelligent to be unaware of these associations, yet the comedian did not feel a sense of mission regarding his identity as a Jewish writer. The book includes emails documenting David's eventual agreement to cooperate with the project.

The text details episodes of Curb rooted in Jewish life, including scenarios involving rabbis, synagogues, and funerals. A 2011 episode titled Palestinian Chicken addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. David recently shared his surprise that some viewers found the episode racist, given the plot involved him dating a Palestinian woman. In a recent essay for the website Air Mail, David satirized the political demands of the Democratic Socialists of America by proposing a humorous two-state solution involving Pitcairn Island.

The biography reveals personal details about David's two daughters, Cazzie and Romy, whom he considers the most important people in his life. This contrasts with the childless persona he portrays on Curb. Harris noted that the real Larry David has a heart, a quality the character on the show rarely displays.