Barack Obama's HBO Max Series Cameo With Larry David Resolves 12-Year Controversy

Art Streiber/HBO Published Aug 8, 2026, 4:34 PM EDT Jennifer is a TV and Movie News Editor at ScreenRant. She started her journey in entertainment media in 2022 when she first joined Valnet at CBR before coming to ScreenRant. Jennifer loves TV, especially science fiction. She also loves late-night talk shows, due to her insomnia. Alien: Earth is definitely one of her favorite shows, and she jumps on any chance she gets to write about it. Even on her days off, she will claim an Alien Earth article if one is available. Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon are two of her favorite late-night hosts, and Conan O'Brien before he left his show. Her Alien: Earth coverage for ScreenRant is by far the work that she is most proud of so far. She was initially a finance and political editor, but her passion for pop culture convinced her to transition into entertainment journalism. During her off time, she loves to binge-watch cooking shows such as Kitchen Nightmares. Jennifer also loves spending time with her daughter and cherishes every moment of it. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Barack Obama gets to revisit one of his oddest controversies. Thanks to Larry David's HBO comedy series Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America, Obama was able to relive a strange moment during his presidency. The former president appears alongside David in a sketch that offers a hilarious explanation for Obama's infamous tan suit, 12 years after the outfit became a ridiculous political talking point. Obama's production company, Higher Ground, is involved with the series, and he has appeared in some of its episodes. In the finale of Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America, he addresses the attention surrounding the tan suit he wore during a White House press conference in 2014. However, instead of trying to explain the outfit seriously, the sketch rewrites history by making it David's fault. In the scene, Obama was originally going to wear a blue suit. Unfortunately, David sees a mango smoothie and asks Obama to let him drink it. After he refuses to share his straw with him, David tries to steal it after the president leaves the Oval Office. Of course, things do not work out in his favor as David accidentally spills the drink over Obama's navy suit. As a result, he convinced Obama to wear a different outfit, the tan suit, because, according to David, it was more appropriate for the event since it was allegedly "casual Friday." On August 28, 2014, Obama unintentionally became the center of attention after wearing a tan suit during a press conference about ISIS, Iraq, and Syria. Because he usually wore darker blue or gray suits, the lighter outfit immediately drew attention. Commentators and representatives criticized him as the outfit was apparently not serious enough for the discussion at hand. The reaction quickly created a media circus, with many mocking the amount of attention devoted to the president’s wardrobe. Eventually, the tan suit controversy turned into a meme. Obama and others have since joked about the incident and how ridiculous it was that a fashion choice dominated the headlines. Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America sees David play himself as he travels to different moments in time. Throughout the HBO series' sketches, he interacts with important figures, such as George Washington and Rosa Parks, as well as visiting some major milestones in American history. Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America can be streamed on HBO Max.