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Larry David Under Fire for ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Gag

Oct 28, 2009  •  Post A Comment

In Sunday’s HBO broadcast of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," Larry David’s character urinated on a painting of Jesus Christ, making a woman believe that a miracle had occurred when she saw what looked like tears. That act, which in the comedy was caused by a prostate drug, has some people and critics up in arms, reports Fox 411.

Deal Hudson, of InsideCatholic.com, was offended, saying, "Why is it that people are allowed to publicly show that level of disrespect for Christian symbols? If the same thing was done to a symbol of any other religions — Jewish or Muslim — there’d be a huge outcry."

HBO stood by Larry David in a statement that read, "Anyone who follows ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ knows that the show is full of parody and satire. The humor is playful and certainly never malicious."

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Just to clarify for those who did not see the episode–as some readers have commented below–what happens, the Fox article says, is that David "visits a bathroom in his assistant’s home and splatters urine on a picture of Jesus. Instead of wiping it off, David leaves the restroom. Minutes later, David’s assistant enters the bathroom and concludes that Jesus is crying. She then summons her mother to the bathroom, where both women kneel in prayer." The splattering up onto the picture occurred while David was peeing in a toilet.]  

–Allison J. Waldman

14 Comments

  1. He really didn’t urinate on the painting. It backsplashed from the toilet. It wasn’t a deliberate act.

  2. You’ve got to be kidding! This idea that religion can’t be made fun of has got to stop. If the religious nuts didn’t want religion to be a joke, then maybe they’d come up with something that wasn’t so ridiculous to believe in.
    Besides, Christian is right, it was an accident. He wanted to wipe it off but didn’t want to touch it. And it wasn’t Larry’s fault the painting was hanging in the bathroom for Christ’s sake.

  3. If Larry David’s character urinated on a painting of Jesus Christ, Mr. Hudson would have every right to be upset. However, Larry David’s character did not urinate on a painting of Jesus Christ. I encourage Ms. Waldman, as I would with any irresponsible journalist, to watch the episode before penning an inaccurate story.

  4. As some who was raised Catholic…I find this to be a very funny joke. I wish I had seen it.

  5. Note the source of the report – FAUX News. Not surprised they got the story completely wrong.

  6. Actually, don’t blame FOX in this instance. Of late, the calibre of the writing that passes for “journalism” on TVWeek.com is appalling.

  7. Jeez, if they thought this was bad then what was their reaction to Penn & Teller’s Bullshit! season finale with The Vatican City and the Pope? Maybe that’s why Showtime pulled that episode shortly after it aired….why won’t these religious nuts just give it up? More people are becoming agnostic/atheist, shit just read any science book/report and you automatically start to question what the Bible states as FACT! Just something to ponder about I guess…

  8. now what would have happened if it had been Mohammed, not JC?
    islam is a religion of peace.

  9. Peace is a relative reality, relatively speaking. But, it is something for which we can all strive.
    I don’t think the urine was to be taken literally, just literarily; metaphorically, perhaps.
    One person’s humor is another’s agony/ecstacy?

  10. Then I dare Larry David to deface an image of Mohammed and watch what happens.
    Recall the arrest just this past week of those who wanted to bomb Danish targets because of the cartoons published years ago.

  11. The reason Christ was used and not Mohammad or any other religious icon was used is because, as far as I have ever seen, only so-called Christians have reported seeing their Lord’s image in sweat stains, potato chips, toast, etc. or the image of the virgin Mother on the side of a building shedding tears like she was peeling onions.
    Get over it!!!!

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  14. This episode is a classic now. So glad Larry and HBO didn’t apologize or address the shmowhawks.

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