HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm was stuck in a malaise prior to season 6, with Larry and Cheryl's divorce subsequently saving the show. Curb Your Enthusiasm centers on a (somewhat) fictionalized version of Seinfeld creator Larry David, whose socially unorthodox approach to everyday life lands Larry in various deplorable situations and labyrinthine misunderstandings. For the first six seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry's grating persona takes the highest toll on his exasperated wife Cheryl (Cheryl Hines), who acts as the series' initial foil for Larry's uncompromising approach to life. Cheryl finally snaps mid-way through Curb Your Enthusiasm season 6, specifically in episode 7, "The TiVo Guy."
As her plane back to LA is caught in a storm, Cheryl calls Larry for reassurance and affection, but instead, Larry is preoccupied with getting the notoriously hard-to-schedule TiVo technician (Kevin Heffernan) comfortable before he hangs up on her. Disappointed and hurt, Cheryl leaves Larry, and the pair eventually divorce. Although Cheryl Hines is phenomenal in her role as Larry's beleaguered wife in Curb Your Enthusiasm, their divorce inadvertently saved the show's narrative. Before season 6, Curb Your Enthusiasm had begun to turn stale, with Larry stuck in a familiar pattern of offending and subsequently apologizing to his wife. However, his split from Cheryl revitalized the direction of the series.
Why Larry & Cheryl's Marriage Had to End
In the context of Curb Your Enthusiasm's narrative options, Larry's marriage shackled the series by not allowing Larry total autonomy over his bizarre life. Though Cheryl was the most relatable Curb Your Enthusiasm character, Larry and Cheryl were also stuck in an infinite loop character arc-wise, with Cheryl yelling at Larry with increasing ferocity each week before the pair's relationship reset the following season. Cheryl leaving Larry in season 6 fixes this, freeing Larry to get into all manner of uncomfortable, and more importantly, fresh situations as he attempts to get his dating life back on track.
Cheryl finally divorcing Larry also allowed Curb Your Enthusiasm to introduce and expand upon new dysfunctional support systems for Larry. J.B. Smoove playing Leon Black is the prime example, as he's now one of the most beloved Curb Your Enthusiasm characters. Whereas Cheryl was a foil for Larry's often petty gripes, Leon encourages Larry's bizarre schemes and take on everyday life, resulting in the pair's hilarious odd-couple dynamic that has blossomed since J.B. Smoove's Curb Your Enthusiasm season 6 introduction.
Curb Your Enthusiasm also arguably created its best season to date from the ashes of Cheryl and Larry's relationship, with Larry's quest to win back his estranged wife resulting in the iconic "Seinfeld season." The gathering of a beloved sitcom cast and Larry's character foibles subsequently tearing each of them down is quintessential Curb that would not have been possible in earlier seasons. Curb Your Enthusiasm now sees Larry more side-splittingly detached from reality than ever before, yet this evolution of his character may have never been possible if Cheryl's divorce had not saved the narrative 14 years ago.
Were Larry & Cheryl Married in Real Life?
Since so many of Curb Your Enthusiasm's characters are named after and closely based on real people, it's natural to wonder whether David and Cheryl Hines were ever actually married. The answer is that they were never married, although the Larry-Cheryl split likely had some basis in reality. Larry David went through a divorce with his then-wife Laurie Lennard in 2007 before Curb Your Enthusiasm season 6 aired. This could have inspired the season's events. Likewise, Cheryl Hines would go on to divorce her first husband, Paul Young, in 2010. She's since remarried Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Seinfeld writer Larry David is married to Ashley Underwood.
What Larry's Real Ex-Wife Is Up To
Larry David's real ex-wife, Laurie David, has continued her activism work after her and Larry's divorce. The couple worked together on several companies to improve the planet, including ones that fight climate change (via The Things). In 2019, Laurie David won Bette Midler's Green Goddess Award for her activism, and she has published three books, the most recent being Imagine It! A Handbook for a Happier Planet, which was co-written with Heather Reisman. David's two previous books are the cookbooks, The Family Cooks: 100+ Recipes to Get Your Family Craving Food That’s Simple, Tasty, and Incredibly Good for You and The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids One Meal at a Time. Unsurprisingly, the activist has stayed away from Curb Your Enthusiasm.