The Rubin Report

Episode: What Really Happened on 'The View' & 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'
Host: Dave Rubin
Guest: Cheryl Hines
Date: November 23, 2025

Episode Overview

In this lively and candid episode, Dave Rubin sits down with Cheryl Hines—award-winning actress and author of the new memoir "Unscripted"—to reflect on her experience navigating a suddenly politicized public life due to her marriage to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the media circuit, and her legendary role as Larry David’s wife on HBO’s "Curb Your Enthusiasm." The duo discusses Hines’ encounters on “The View,” the improvisational chaos and genius of "Curb," her relationship with Larry David, brushing off cancel culture, poignant moments with Richard Lewis, and how she merges her careers in entertainment and activism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Navigating Political Hot Seats and the “The View” Experience

• On Suddenly Becoming Political Because of Her Marriage

  • Cheryl notes interviews now begin with questions about her husband, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.:

    “I just have to be ready for whatever comes at me, you know, regarding him. So it’s a different way to do interviews, I guess.” (Cheryl, 04:05)

• Contrast Between Left and Right-Wing Circles

  • Cheryl observes:

    “My experience with the right has been they have been accepting and warm… more willing to find common ground and just accept you as you are. So that’s been a little surprising.” (Cheryl, 05:11)

  • The left, by contrast, is described as “very emotional and upset.”

• The “View” Experience

  • Hines describes feeling “in the hot seat for someone else”:

    "I was in the hot seat, fielding questions, sometimes just statements on behalf of Bobby. So that was strange…" (Cheryl, 08:36)

  • Dave notes the "one view" nature of the panel and commends Cheryl’s calm response to questions about “extremist views.”

• Using Improv to Handle Media Confrontation

  • Cheryl credits her improv experience with helping her field tough media questions:

    “I titled my book Unscripted because Curb... was unscripted. ...Those improv skills do help me stay present and stay focused on the person that's talking.” (Cheryl, 09:52)

The Creative Chaos of "Curb Your Enthusiasm"

• Origins and Improvisational Approach

  • The original “Curb” shot in 1999, originally as a mockumentary.
  • Larry David would give only minimal context for each scene. No scripts or rehearsals:

    “I would never have gotten that part on Curb... because, like you said, there was no script. And even when I went into audition, there's no script.” (Cheryl, 13:02)

• The Importance (and Challenge) of Improv

  • Hines discusses how some actors adapted better to improv than others, sharing a casting story:

    “He could not stop laughing… Larry’s like, ‘I can’t cast you. You can’t even do the scene in the audition.’” (Cheryl, 18:24)

  • The cast often didn’t even know where scenes should end; outcomes evolved in real-time.

• Working with Larry David

  • Larry’s meticulousness and aversion to sentimental acting:

    “He just never wanted to do emotional. ...Even with Seinfeld, he never wanted that.” (Dave, 34:32 / Cheryl, 34:50)

  • Hines recounts Larry’s strict “no emotion, no kissing good night” rules—insisting, “We don’t do that.” (Cheryl, 35:17)

Behind the Scenes: Cast Chemistry, Absurdity, and Memorable Episodes

• Ted Danson’s Genius

  • Ted Danson excelled at subtly antagonizing Larry in scenes for comedic effect.

    “He knows exactly what would bother Larry... just little things that he knows will bother Larry.” (Cheryl, 22:57)

• Unexpected Show Departures

  • Hines reflects emotionally on Cheryl and Larry’s on-screen divorce and her temporarily reduced role.

    “I remember I was dancing with my guy, and he was dancing with Vivica, and I looked over at them dancing, and it got to me… it did make me sad, you know.” (Cheryl, 21:15)

• Favorite Episode

  • Her favorite: The “Jesus, Mary, and Larry” episode, inspired by a real-life family story:

    “I called Larry and I said, if you were… here, you’d eat Baby Jesus. And my family would go crazy…” (Cheryl, 44:53)

  • Cheryl shares a behind-the-scenes anecdote about Larry’s refusal to allow sentimentality, even when his character “dies”:

    “I got so teary. And after the take, Larry said, what are you doing? I said, it's sad. And he said, don't cry!” (Cheryl, 33:20 – 34:32)

• Love for Fellow Cast Members

  • Richard Lewis: Hines recalls her early crush and his sweet, supportive nature:

    “He had a very sweet, soulful side to him…. Richard would… pull you aside and say, hey, I really love you.” (Cheryl, 30:54)

  • Super Dave Osborne/Bob Einstein: Hines clarifies the character’s real name and recalls his outrageous on-set antics.

  • Regret over never meeting Bea Arthur, who played Larry's mom in a surreal "heaven" episode.

The Show and Cancel Culture

• On “Curb” Skipping Cancel Culture
  • Both Rubin and Hines marvel that "Curb” never faced major cancel culture backlash:

    “It is surprising. But maybe by the time Cancel culture… [came] around, Larry had already made fun of right everybody. And so people knew he wasn't targeting one group…he makes fun of himself so much that I guess he got grandfathered in.” (Cheryl, 27:20 – 28:40)

Life Beyond "Curb": Health, Activism, and New Projects

• Balancing Entertainment and Politics

  • Cheryl describes learning to merge her acting career and activist commitments:

    “I never expected politics to be a part of my life, but now I…am definitely finding a balance. I'm producing a film… and at the same time… I am Bobby Kennedy Jr.'s wife. So there’s a way to do both, to do it all, but it doesn't… some days are harder than others, I’ll be honest.” (Cheryl, 37:45 – 38:37)

• Healthy Lifestyle

  • On adopting Bobby Kennedy’s strict health routines:

    “He does waver sometimes, but not very often… I veer off more than he does… but I also have… more of, we'll see, I mean I guess I could say discipline in that regard.” (Cheryl, 39:57 – 41:40)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On political polarization:

  "My experience with the right…they seem more willing to find common ground and just accept you as you are. So that's been a little surprising." – Cheryl Hines, 05:11

• On improvisation in media:

  “You have to listen because there’s no script. You can’t be thinking about what you’re gonna say ahead of time because you don’t know what the question’s gonna be…” – Cheryl Hines, 09:52

• On feeling targeted for her husband's views:

  “It is odd to be in the hot seat for someone else. I was in the hot seat, fielding questions, sometimes just statements on behalf of Bobby. So that was strange…” – Cheryl Hines, 08:36

• On Larry David's ethos:

  “He just never wanted to do emotional. ...Even with Seinfeld, he never wanted that.” – Dave Rubin & Cheryl Hines, 34:32–34:50

• On “Curb’s” shield from cancel culture:

  “Maybe by the time cancel culture rolled around, Larry had already made fun of everybody. ...He makes fun of himself so much that I guess he got grandfathered in.” – Cheryl Hines, 27:20–28:40

• On Richard Lewis:

  “He had a very sweet, soulful side to him…. Richard would, you know, he would pull you aside and say, hey, I really love you.” – Cheryl Hines, 30:54

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 04:05 – Cheryl on being in the political spotlight because of her husband
• 05:11 – Observations on kindness and openness across the political spectrum
• 08:36 – Handling “The View” and being questioned for her husband’s politics
• 09:52 – Using improv skills to handle combative interviews
• 13:02–14:24 – The improvisational process behind “Curb”
• 18:24 – Some actors struggled with improv, funny casting story
• 21:15–22:26 – Emotional response to Cheryl and Larry’s on-screen separation
• 22:57 – Ted Danson’s comedic mastery
• 27:20–28:40 – How “Curb” managed to avoid cancel culture controversies
• 30:54 – Sweetness and support from Richard Lewis
• 33:20–34:32 – Cheryl’s emotional response to Larry’s on-screen death, shut down by Larry
• 35:17 – Larry’s strict, unsentimental approach to “domestic” acting
• 37:45–38:37 – Balancing acting, activism, and marriage to RFK Jr.
• 44:53 – Cheryl’s favorite “Curb” episode: “Jesus, Mary and Larry”
• 46:26–47:36 – Bob Einstein’s (Super Dave Osborne’s) on-set antics

Tone and Style

The conversation is witty, warm, and peppered with dry humor—true to Dave Rubin’s and Cheryl Hines’ respective styles. Hines is candid, self-deprecating, and gracefully navigates both light-hearted and more serious discussions.

Summary

This episode is a must-listen for fans of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" or anyone interested in the dynamics between public life, politics, and comedy. Cheryl Hines offers delightful behind-the-scenes stories, honest reflections on life in polarized America, and thoughtful commentary on the value of improv—not just in acting, but in navigating the unpredictability of media and politics. The rapport between Rubin and Hines is genuine, often laugh-out-loud funny, and refreshingly human.

Listen for: behind-the-scenes secrets, candid thoughts on political media, tributes to Richard Lewis and Bob Einstein, and the origins of some classic Curb scenes.