Larry David, Bill Maher, and the Uncomfortable Art of Not Being Nice

In an age where nuance is often sacrificed for outrage, two Jewish comedians - Larry David and Bill Maher - have reignited the value of public discomfort. Larry David’s satirical op-ed in The New York Times, titled “My Dinner With Adolf,” wasn’t merely a comedic sketch. It was a sharp, unsettling response to Maher’s real-life dinner with Donald Trump, a meeting Maher later described as surprisingly "gracious" and "measured."

David didn’t mention Maher or Trump by name, but the parody was unmistakable. He imagined sitting down to a polite, humanized version of Hitler, a dark comedic scenario that reflected, line for line, Maher’s real assessment of Trump. The punchline? Civility with monsters is still dinner with monsters.

Bill Maher, for his part, is no Trump supporter. He’s a secular critic of religion, the creator of the film Religulous, and a vocal opponent of both Republican and Democratic hypocrisies. His show, Real Time, is a home for anti-political correctness, where he routinely mocks woke culture and conservative dogma alike. Maher defends the idea of engaging with ideological opponents - not to legitimize them, but to keep the conversation honest.

Larry David, by contrast, thrives on discomfort. His TV series Curb Your Enthusiasm gleefully shreds taboos - from Holocaust jokes to Palestinian roommates - never for shock value alone, but to interrogate the boundaries of modern morality. His latest essay was less about Trump, and more about the seduction of likability in the face of danger.

Together, these two men embody a vital part of Jewish culture: debate, defiance, and humor as tools for truth. They’re not afraid to offend, not for the sake of being edgy, but to pierce complacency. For readers in Iceland, where Jewish identity may still seem distant or abstract, David and Maher offer a glimpse into a tradition that’s as much about questioning as it is about believing.

No, David didn’t cancel Maher. He challenged him, Jewish-style. With satire. With discomfort. And maybe, with a touch of affection.