Curb Your Enthusiasm recently concluded its 12th and final season to rave reviews. The series, which has aired on HBO for over 20 years, centers on a fictionalized life of Seinfeld creator Larry David, as he navigates the unnerving socialscape of wealthy actors, producers, and other LA insiders. As the show goes on, Larry offers a wide array of neurotic observations about the world around him, resulting in several hilarious disagreements with his coterie of associates. The show touts some of the most memorable celebrity cameos in television history, with Lin Manuel Miranda, Shaquille O'Neal, the Seinfeld cast, and many others joining in the nonstop chaos that engulfs Larry David's social life. Without further ado, let's look at some of the best celebrity cameos to appear in Curb Your Enthusiasm.
5. Conan O'Brien
Conan O'Brien is a late addition to the Curb Your Enthusiasm universe, as he made his first and only appearance during the final season of the show. Despite his eleventh-hour cameo, O'Brien shines in the role, as a fictionalized version of himself, who stonewalls Larry for failing to receive the proper "Conan clearance." Conan has a reputation within the industry for being an affable and approachable star, so his cold, uninterested demeanor in Curb plays completely against what he's known for in the funniest way possible. Conan recently discussed his appearance on the show with Larry David during an episode of his podcast Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend, where the pair shared many hearty laughs. Obviously, the real-life Larry David has more than enough Conan clearance to impose upon the long-time talk show host, even for big favors like borrowing his car.
4. Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks joined Curb Your Enthusiasm for a single episode back in 2017 titled "A Disturbance In The Kitchen." Banks becomes highly attracted to Larry after he becomes the recipient of a Fatwa from the Ayatollah, which makes him seem like a badass in the face of certain danger. While many of Larry's friends and associates express shock at the bald and elderly protagonist courting such a beautiful and well-recognized actress, their partnership ultimately falls apart due to Banks' inability to improvise. Following a series of misunderstandings with a local police officer, Larry and Elizabeth find themselves backed into the kitchen of a local eatery, causing a major disturbance in the kitchen.
3. Ricky Gervais
Ricky Gervais is absolutely hilarious in his season 8 appearance, serving as the comedic foil to Larry at every turn. During a dinner, Gervais outdoes Larry at nearly every turn, criticizes the production quality of Seinfeld, and later steals Larry's girlfriend, only to end up looking like a fool in front of her. While many of Larry's interactions on Curb Your Enthusiasm see Larry constantly stepping on everybody else's toes, Ricky Gervais is one of the few characters that gives Larry a taste of his own medicine, while dropping a few side-splitting comments shading the comedian along the way.
2. Jon Hamm
In a shocking antithesis to Ricky Gervais' appearance, Jon Hamm gets along with Larry perfectly. In preparation for his role as a "Larry David type" in a film, Hamm decides to shadow Larry's every move for a few days to capture his mannerisms. Instead, Jon Hamm winds up taking on Larry's personality entirely, even when he isn't around, leading Richard Lewis to remark "Oh my god... There's two Larry Davids. Holy S***!" Later on in the season 10 episode, Jon Hamm is thrown out of a dinner party alongside Larry, prompting the party's host to refer to him as "Larry David Jr."
Hamm reprised his role in the following season, only to tell Larry that the movie never came to fruition, after test audiences called his character "repugnant." Jon Hamm has one of the funniest cameos in the entire show, and would surely top our list if it weren't for one undeniable all-time favorite.
1. Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox's cameo earns the title of the single greatest in Curb Your Enthusiasm history, with even the episode named after him. The season 8 finale "Larry Vs. Michael J. Fox" was long considered to be the show's finale, as Curb went on hiatus between 2011 and 2018. In this episode, Larry moves into a New York apartment, just beneath Fox, only to become perturbed by a series of loud banging and clomping noises from upstairs.
When he confronts Michael J. Fox about the noise, the beloved Back To The Future actor explains that his Parkinson's disease diagnosis causes him to shake and clomp, after offering Larry a soda, which explodes from being shaken up. Larry inquires as to whether the shaking was an intentional "Larry shake" or simply a "Parkinson's shake," and the pair continue to wage social warfare through several awkward misunderstandings.
Michael J. Fox's ability to joke about his real-life disease is truly inspiring and showcases a genuine and affable side of him that could only be achieved on Curb Your Enthusiasm. Like Jon Hamm, Fox eventually returns in a future episode, wherein he admits that he embellished his Parkinson's shakes to intentionally antagonize Larry.
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