Seinfeld Yuks It Up With Obama, and They Don’t Wear Seatbelts
America’s top comedian gets the president to talk about his underwear, shaving, nachos, and Larry David’s schmutzy sunscreen
December 31, 2015
So Jerry Seinfeld’s got this web series in which he drives famous people around in beautiful classic cars to go get a cup of coffee, and then they talk, but the real joke is that nobody is more famous than Jerry Seinfeld. Not even Barack Obama.
To kick off his final year in office, the president joined Seinfeld on his show, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, for the Season 7 premiere. All in all, the episode is a lot of fun and a testament to the fact that Seinfeld is a master at his craft.
Seinfeld shows up to the White House in a 1963 Corvette Sting Ray, with a 327 cubic-inch v8 engine and silver blue coat. But the president isn’t allowed to leave the confines of his barricaded political playground, so they don’t get to use much of the car’s four-barrel carburetor. Instead, they mosey along the White House grounds, don’t wear their seatbelts—thanks for the tip, Obama—and even drive over the grass at a few angles.
Their interactions are mostly fresh, and Seinfeld gets the president to talk about a number of his favorite things: his morning routine during which he shaves before he works out; his underwear, which is one brand, one color; his love for nachos; golfing with Larry David, who lathers himself in sunscreen; and a Jewish version of Citizen Kane.
Oh, and we learn that Obama has never been on eBay, which is obviously a lie because it’s un-American to never have browsed eBay to consider buying someone else’s garbage. And if you pay close enough attention, there’s a flash of a red hot White House mug with gold trim.
Favorite Seinfeld quote from the episode: “I make so much more than you.”
Jonathan Zalman is a writer and teacher based in Brooklyn.
