Rob Reiner gets the last laugh against Trump in Larry David HBO show
Rob Reiner gets the last laugh against Donald Trump in his secret final screen role as George Washington in Larry David's HBO sketch series Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness. The cameo, filmed about a month before Reiner's death, aired in Episode 2 on July 3—timed for Fourth of July weekend and America's 250th birthday.
Director Jeff Schaffer tells Variety that Reiner's appearance was kept under wraps until the episode dropped on HBO Max. For viewers tracking Streaming & TV Alerts, the reveal lands as one of the most talked-about posthumous cameos of the year.
Key Takeaways
- Rob Reiner filmed his final role as George Washington on Nov. 13, about a month before he and his wife Michele were killed in December 2025.
- The cameo was hidden even at the series' Los Angeles premiere, where HBO swapped in another sketch for the first two episodes.
- Episode 2 aired July 3, 2026, letting Reiner—an outspoken Trump critic—deliver a pointed political sketch on Fourth of July weekend.
- Larry David and Jeff Schaffer co-created the seven-episode series, with Schaffer directing every episode.
- The sketch closes with an In Memoriam card honoring Reiner after his Washington character says, "We're fucked."
What role did Rob Reiner play in Larry David's HBO show?
Reiner appears as George Washington in Episode 2 of Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America. Schaffer and David wanted Reiner for the part from the start, though David insisted he shave his trademark beard because, as Schaffer recalls, "George Washington was clean shaven."
Reiner reportedly asked, "Seriously?" but agreed. They shot the sketch on the Universal lot on Nov. 13. Schaffer calls directing him surreal, noting Reiner is "on the Mount Rushmore of directors."
How does the George Washington sketch target Donald Trump?
As Washington, Reiner delivers a speech declaring he will not seek a third term and suggesting Congress pass a constitutional amendment to limit future presidents' time in power. Larry David, in colonial attire, then asks what happens if "some asshole in office, some narcissistic prick" ignores the Constitution.
The sketch becomes an extended critique of a hypothetical leader who cannot admit election defeat, enriches himself and his family, sends troops into American cities, and distracts from being "friends with a pedophile." Jimmy Kimmel also cameos, mocking the idea of a president who challenges anyone who mocks him "as if he were a big baby." Colonists eventually brawl over the mere thought of such a leader.
Why was Reiner's cameo kept secret until July 3?
Schaffer says the team "thought long and hard" about when to air the sketch. They withheld it from the Los Angeles premiere screening of the first two episodes because "it just didn't feel like the right way to show the world."
They chose July 3—Fourth of July weekend and the 250th anniversary—for the reveal. Schaffer told Variety: "It's coming out on Fourth of July weekend, and if it in any way spoils a sad octogenarian's weekend, then oh well!" He and David were editing the sketch just two days before Reiner's death, which Schaffer called "so incredibly sad."