You know that feeling when Larry David says the thing everyone is thinking, but he does it in the most uncomfortable way possible? That's basically his entire career. But in April 2025, he took it to a level that made even his most cynical fans do a double-take. He published a guest essay in The New York Times titled Larry David My Dinner with Adolf full, and honestly, it’s probably the most "Larry" thing he's ever written.
It wasn't a script for a new show. It wasn't a Curb Your Enthusiasm deleted scene. It was a searing, satirical takedown of another comedian, Bill Maher, and a very specific dinner Maher had at the White House. If you’ve been looking for the full story behind this piece, you aren't alone. It’s one of those bits of writing that manages to be hilarious and deeply disturbing at the same time.
What Actually Happens in My Dinner with Adolf?
The premise is simple, in a twisted sort of way. Larry writes from the perspective of a fictionalized version of himself (or a Maher stand-in) living in early 1939. This narrator has been a "vocal critic" of Adolf Hitler on the radio for years. He’s predicted the dictatorship, the annexations—the whole nine yards. But then, an invitation arrives. Hitler wants him for dinner at the Old Chancellery.
Instead of saying "no" to a monster, the narrator decides that "hate gets us nowhere." He thinks it's important to "talk to the other side." It's classic centrist logic pushed to a ridiculous extreme.
When he gets there, he meets the "inner circle": Heinrich Himmler, Hermann Göring, and Leni Riefenstahl. They’re all just hanging out, chatting about art they’ve stolen from Jewish homes. Then Hitler walks in. He’s wearing a tan suit. He’s warm. He’s friendly. He even slaps the narrator on the back.
The "Human" Side of a Dictator
The core of the satire hits when the narrator starts feeling "charmed." He notices Hitler has a sense of humor. He laughs! The narrator writes, "Suddenly he seemed so human."
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This is where the Larry David My Dinner with Adolf full text gets really dark. Hitler starts making jokes at Göring’s expense. He whispers to the narrator about Göring’s eating habits. He even tells a story about his dog having diarrhea in the Reichstag. The punchline? "Hey, if I can kill Jews, Gypsies and homosexuals, I can certainly kill a dog!"
The room roars with laughter. The narrator is having the time of his life. He thinks to himself that the "private Hitler" is a "completely different animal" than the one he’s seen in public. He’s convinced this version is more "authentic."
Why Larry David Wrote This (The Bill Maher Connection)
You can't talk about this essay without talking about Bill Maher. Just a few weeks before the piece dropped, Maher had dinner at the White House with Donald Trump, joined by Kid Rock and Dana White. On his show Real Time, Maher described the experience as surprisingly pleasant. He called Trump "gracious and measured" and "much more self-aware than he lets on."
Maher’s big takeaway? Trump laughs. He’s human.
Larry David clearly wasn't buying it. He saw Maher’s description as a dangerous attempt to "humanize" a figure that many on the left see as an existential threat. By swapping Trump for Hitler and keeping the dialogue almost identical to Maher’s real-world comments, Larry made a brutal point: being a "nice guy" at a dinner table doesn't change what you do when you're in power.
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The Fallout and the Controversy
Naturally, Bill Maher didn't take it lying down. He went on Piers Morgan Uncensored and called the essay "insulting to 6 million dead Jews." He argued that once you "play the Hitler card," you've lost the argument.
But Larry’s defenders, including people like Patrick Healy at the Times, argued the satire was necessary. It wasn't about equating the two men as historical figures. It was about the "human tendency to misinterpret limited personal interactions as meaningful reflections of character."
Basically, Larry was saying: "Who cares if he's funny at dinner? He's still Hitler."
Key Takeaways from the Satire
If you're reading the Larry David My Dinner with Adolf full essay for the first time, there are a few nuances you shouldn't miss:
- The Tan Suit: A subtle nod to the "scandals" of past presidents, used here to make Hitler seem mundane and relatable.
- The Nazi Salute Ending: The narrator leaves the dinner, tells Hitler he's glad he came because they "don't have to hate each other," and then gives him a Nazi salute. It’s a chilling reminder of how "civility" can lead to complicity.
- The "Inquisitive" Leader: The narrator is flattered that Hitler asks him questions about his own life. It’s a classic manipulation tactic—making someone feel important so they’ll ignore the bigger picture.
How to Find and Read the Full Piece
The essay was originally published on April 21, 2025. Because it's a New York Times Opinion piece, it's often behind a paywall, but you can usually find the full text mirrored on various news sites or discussed in depth on forums like Reddit.
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If you want to understand the current state of political satire, this is the text to study. It shows that even in his late 70s, Larry David hasn't lost his edge. He's still the guy who's willing to make everyone in the room feel terrible if it means he gets to tell the truth.
To get the most out of the essay, try reading it alongside Bill Maher's April 11, 2025, monologue from Real Time. The parallels are so close it’s almost spooky. You’ll see exactly which phrases Larry "borrowed" to make his point.
Once you’ve read both, look up the "Survivor" episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. It’s a classic example of Larry using the Holocaust as a backdrop for a petty argument—in that case, between a literal Holocaust survivor and a contestant from the TV show Survivor. It helps put "My Dinner with Adolf" into the broader context of Larry’s career-long obsession with the "rules" of being Jewish in a world that often feels absurd.
Next Steps:
- Search for the April 21, 2025, New York Times Opinion section to read the original text in its full formatting.
- Compare the "private Hitler" quotes in the essay to Bill Maher's specific descriptions of Donald Trump from his April 2025 Real Time monologue.
- Watch the Piers Morgan interview with Bill Maher from late April 2025 to hear the direct rebuttal to Larry's satire.